


Tales of the Society: The Azure Age Chapter 4

by LadyofI



Series: Tales of the Society [4]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-19 18:00:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 29,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19978207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyofI/pseuds/LadyofI
Summary: With Marcell threatening the Nexus, the newly-reformed Crimson Society must prepare to take him on. But will seven members be enough?





	1. "Mascot" Mayhem

_“And that’s how our little feud with the Azure Initiative turned into an all-out war,” Brian finished. “At the time, we thought it was just Stage 1 of their plans to conquer the Nexus - little did we realize that Weiss and Co. were hell-bent on ending our collective ass before going on their planned reign of terror.”_

_“Wow. Talk about petty!” The arctic wolf crossed her arms with a snort, which was echoed by the strange creature behind her. Its form was indistinct, seemingly merging with the wolf’s shadow, but red eyes, wild fur, and a jagged mouth were plainly visible._

_Juliet shook her head with pleasant exasperation. “I_ still _can’t believe how close you and Hellrion are,” she said. “You’ve probably got a stronger bond than Tavo and his beasts.” She indicated the small unicorn with her thumb, prompting him to leap to his hooves._

_“HEY! I resent that!” As quickly as it had come, his anger gave way to a hearty chortle. “Naah, I’m just kidding - Nessa and Hellrion are as tight as they come! Me, on the other hand…well…it took a mighty lot of effort to get my beasts on my side…guess that’s more proof of-”_

_“Tavo…we’ve been_ over _this.” Brian’s tone was stern, although his gaze was sympathetic. “No self-depreciation in this pad, remember?”_

_“Yeah, Tav, quit killin’ the mood!” chimed the raccoon-dog. “We’re gettin’ to the_ good _part of the story; the part where_ I _make my debut! …Oh, and you come in too, I guess~”_

_“Gee… _thanks_ , Dante.” Despite his sarcastic words, Tavo’s mouth curled into a tiny smile as he and the other Society members looked back to the Councilmen. Accordingly, Max rose from his seat and cleared his throat officiously to continue the tale._

_“Well…after everyone finished laughing at Marcell’s_ atrocious _naming sense, we started making plans to take him and his band off the air…permanently. However, while most of us were working on our preparations, Emily got the idea to find some_ extra _help…”_

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

# Tales of the Society - The Azure Age

## Chapter 4.1: “Mascot” Mayhem

“What?! No! No no no no no no _no!_ ” Brian shook his head, his hands, and even his spider limbs to emphasize his disagreement with Emily’s suggestion.

“C’mooooon, Brian! You said it yourself; we need all the help we can get! Why not bring in two awesome people we already know like the back of our heads?”

Brian frowned at his girlfriend’s use of his own words. “I dunno, Emily…” he said at last. “I just don’t know if those two are…well…Crimson Society material. You _know_ that not everyone can handle their…uh……” He trailed off, mentally casting about for the right word.

“…Quirks?” Athena offered.

“Exactly!” Brian said. “Emily, I appreciate the idea, but I’m not sure if they’d be able to fit in with the others just yet…and more intra-group drama is something we _don’t_ need right now.”

“Well, yeah…” Emily’s face fell, but only for a moment. “…but what we _do_ need right now is more muscle and firepower, and our pals have that in _spaaades!_ ” A familiar whine crept into her voice as she prepared to unleash her secret weapon for winning arguments with her boyfriend. “C’mon, can’t we at _least_ give it a shot? _Pleeeeeeeaaaase~?_ ”

Brian averted his eyes a moment too late; Emily had already adopted her best “kicked puppy-dog” look, complete with trembling lower lip and a pathetic whimper. In a matter of seconds, the spider-bunny’s willpower shattered like glass in an opera.

“Aaarrggh…alright! _Fine!_ ” he yelled. “I’ll go give ‘em a call and see if they’re available.”

“Alriiiight!!” Emily gave a whoop of triumph before smooching Brian full on the mouth. “And that’s why I love ya, Bun-bun~”

“ _Uuugh…and I just ate,_ ” groaned Zeus.

Brian only chuckled as he walked over to the phone. “Let’s hope she’s still there…” After dialing the number in question, he heard the phone ring once before a cheery feminine voice shouted a greeting.

“HELLO~! WELCOME TO THE KINGSLEY HOUSEHO-”

“Ack!” Brian nearly dropped the phone as his hands reflexively covered his ears. “…Dammit, Nana! I’ve _told_ you a hundred times; _tone down the greetings!_ ”

The line was silent for a moment before the speaker gasped in shock. “Oh…My…God! Is that…… _EEEE!_ Bri-Bri, it’s been so long~! I haven’t seen you since your last house got blown to a bajillion pieces!”

“…Don’t remind me of what that armless whore did to my house…” Brian groaned. “Oh, and guess what? …She did the same to our Crimson Society base…with Iridu City as collateral.”

“ _No way!_ ” B.Nana gasped. “That lady really needs a lesson in responsibile bomb use!”

Brian rolled his eyes at his friend’s knack for stating the obvious. “Yeah yeah yeah… So, uh…how’s everything over at Gideon’s house?”

“Oh, it’s been great~! Your mentor has been really supportive and caring, buuuut…hey!” B.Nana’s voice became slightly distant as the sounds of a small scuffle was heard over the line. “I’m on the phone here - ease up on the shoving! Hey, what’re you- HEY!”

Before Brian could ask what was going on, a new voice was heard over the line. This one was also clearly female, but with a deeper, rougher tone that bordered on a growl - stranger still, her speech was interspersed with strange clicking sounds.

“What B.Nana was _going_ to say was…we are _bored out of our minds_ over here. Gideon is _way_ too hard to scare.”

“Zuula? Is that you?” Brian blinked in surprise. “What are you still doing at Gideon’s house? I thought you would have gone back to the Lost Pit by now.”

The voice on the other end of the line gave a noncommittal click. “Funnily enough, I _was_ , but B.Nana convinced me to bunk in with her. Honestly, that girl can be pretty pushy when she wants to be…but I’m glad I listened. Your mentor has been a gracious host these past months; I’ve gotten to try so many foods that my people never had before. I’m serious; these ‘salads’ are quite delicious, even without meat!”

“Hahaha…well, the Headmaster does know how to make a _mean_ karedok…” Brian laughed, but he refocused on his original task when Emily coughed behind him. “But let’s not get distracted; I’m calling you for a reason, actually.” He paused to collect his thoughts before deciding to give the short version of events. “My friends and I are taking applications for the return of the Crimson Society, and-”

“We’re in.”

The rest of Brian’s speech died in his throat, giving way to utter bemusement. “…R..really? Just like that? I haven’t even gotten to explain anything…”

“As I said before, Brian, we are _bored out of our minds_ here!” Now it was Zuula’s turn to pause, her clicking taking on an almost apologetic tone. “…Ahem…no offense, Mr. Kingsley. You really are a wonderful host, but my hunger for action can’t be sated with karedok.”

“None taken, Madame Zuula.” The calm male voice in the distance was quickly drowned out by the sound of another short scuffle, heralding B.Nana’s return to the conversation.

“Yeah!” she agreed. “As fun as it is to hang out with your government buddies, I’m starting to get the itch for adventure! Whatever’s going on at your new pad can’t be anything that a little party or two won’t liven up!”

Brian briefly thought of warning B.Nana about what was to come, but decided against it - as Zuula said, his friend could be remarkably set in her ways when she set her mind to something. “…Welp, can’t argue with that logic,” he said. “So when can I expect you and Zuula over here?”

“Right away!” B.Nana cheered. “We’ll be over there faster than you can chug a can of Grape Soda! ……Wait, where are we going again?”

With a mental facepalm, Brian belatedly remembered that his friends had no idea where the Society’s new base was. “Just…hang on,” he said. “I’ll come by to pick you up once I’ve told the rest of the gang about you two; just pack your stuff and wait for me at Gideon’s house, okay?”

“Okee dokee~!” B.Nana giggled. “I can’t wait to see ya again! Buh-bye~” With that, she hung up, leaving Brian to turn to Emily.

“Em, this is really, _really_ important,” he said. “I need you to gather everyone outside the Teleporter Room and tell them as much about B.Nana and Zuula as you can. They’re definitely… _different_ …so I want the rest of the Society to have an idea of what to expect. Juliet got to know ‘em while they were at her dad’s place, so she should be able to help you.”

“Leave it to me, Brian~!” Emily ran off to gather her friends as Brian headed for the Teleporter Room, drawing up another portable Warp Pad to put near his destination.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several minutes later, the Society had assembled outside the Teleporter Room as instructed, where Emily and Juliet had brought them up to speed on their incoming recruits.

“Alright everyone, Brian should be coming back any second now!” Emily chirped. “When he does, we’re gonna give our new arrivals some extra-big welcomes so they feel at home! Any questions?”

“I’m…still trying to wrap my head around this.” Eli said, arms folded. “I mean, I _sorta_ get the ‘10-foot-tall tentacle monster’ part…but…a _talking banana?_ Like, for real? Has Brian gone off the deep end?”

“No no no no - we’ve been _over_ this!” Emily frowned. “She’s a _sentient_ banana-woman…that also has a penis~!”

“… _That only raises more questions!!_ ” Eli responded furiously.

“It’s a _long_ story, sweetie,” Athena explained. “Brian will explain everything during the formal introductions - right now, all we need is your interest. Besides, hasn’t the Nexus proven to us that we should always expect the unexpected?

“Ya don’t need to worry, Eli,” Juliet scoffed. “B.Nana’s a pretty cool chick…just a little _overwhelming_ when you’re getting to know her.”

“And what about this ‘Zuula’ character?” Tim pondered. “I’m not sure I’ve heard a name such as that before…”

“That’s probably ‘cuz you’ve never seen a **Carcanod** before, silly!” Emily replied jovially.

“A Carca-what now?” Scafe raised an eyebrow.

“Once again, it’s a long story…one that I’m certain Brian will be all too happy to explain when he finally-” Athena paused as the telltale hum of the teleporter sounded from the room beyond. “And speak of the devil; there he is now.”

“Ah great~! The gang’s all here.” Brian smiled as he exited the room. “So, have Emily and Juliet informed you all of our newcomers?”

“Brian, man, be level with me here,” Eli interjected. “What’s this about you hanging out with this ‘sentient banana-girl with a dick?’”

Brian only gave a chuckle as he patted Eli’s shoulder. “It’ll all make sense in a second, Eli.”

“ _Don’t quote_ me _on that - that was completely his idea,_ ” Zeus added.

“Anyways… I’m sure you have many questions about our newcomers,” Brian continued. “All of which will be answered once they show up. I’ve already gave them the coordinates to our headquarters; they’re just getting a few more things together. They should be arriving momentarily.”

“Well, Brian, you’re making all sorts of interesting friends,” Max chuckled. “Next thing you know, you’ll tell us you’ve befriended a Mancubus.”

“Ooooh no…if Brian’s going to befriend any demon from hell, it is NOT going to be a fucking Mancubus!” Scafe added.

“ _In all seriousness, however…these two are pretty…uhh……shocking at first. Don’t be surprised if they rub you the wrong way - that’s just how they are. And we do NOT wanna hear any stupid comments,_ ” Zeus warned.

Suddenly, the sound of the teleporter was heard from the room behind, making Brian clap his hands together in satisfaction. “Ah, just in time,” he smiled. “Our newcomers have arrived~! Lemme just go make sure they aren’t too sick from the ride or something…” With a wink, he ran back into the room so fast that the others didn’t even glimpse the new arrivals.

“Alright everyone, listen up.” Scafe turned to his fellow Society members. “We have some new faces coming in. As the Crimson Society’s semi-official advisor, I expect _all_ of you to act presentable and make a good first impression. We want these two to feel welcome to our organization, no matter how quirky Emily and Brian claim they are.”

“You got it, babe!” Becky chimed.

The others gave similar acknowledgements as Brian emerged from the room once more. “Alright everyone~!” he shouted. “Please help me in welcoming our newest members, Zuula and B.Na- OOF!” He was cut off when a yellow blur glomped him from behind and waved at the rest of the group.

“Haaaiii everybody~! It’s nice to meet you all~!” B.Nana promptly leapt off the stunned Brian to begin shaking each Society member’s hand in turn, moving so quickly that they barely had a chance to take in her features. At a glance, she looked like a bald human woman completely covered by a skintight suit that looked and felt like the peel of a healthy banana, but the lack of a nose, the tiny fangs in her mouth, and the thick wooden stump protruding from her head betrayed her true species.

“Oh my goodness…she really _is_ a sentient banana.” Eli shook his head, mouth slightly agape, but Max’s attention was fixed on the other figure emerging from the Teleporter Room. 

“Blimey…nevermind the banana. Get a load of _her!_ ” 

Eli’s dreadlocks went stark white as he took in the second woman stalking towards them. Her pale, muscular body would have been imposing enough even if she wasn’t a good ten feet tall, and her lashing tentacles, swirling pink eye, and fanged smile only added to her intimidating presence. A low, amused clicking issued from her mouth as she stood before the stunned crew, crossing her arms as she waited for them to find their words.

“W-w-w-what _is_ that monstrosity?!” Tim said, pupils shrunk.

“Monstrosity? I may be a monster, but I resent that phrase.” Despite her irritated tone, Zuula’s grin didn’t shrink an inch as she turned to glare at the anthro-pegasus.

“Ahem…everyone. This is **Brittany Nana,** or **B.Nana** for short. And _this_ is “The Queen of the Hunt” herself, **Zuula.** ” Brian gestured to each of them in turn.

“Heyo~!” B.Nana greeted cheerfully.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, fresh meat~” Zuula’s grin seemed to widen as she looked around at the crowd.

“F-f-f-f-fresh meat?!” Eli shivered. “Y-y-y-you’re not gonna eat us, are you?!”

“Mmmmmm…maaayyyybbbbeeeeee~” Zuula said, squatting to bring her leering face closer to the chinchilla’s. “Would your flesh sustain me~?”

“I…I…uh…uh…I-I…” Eli stammered and shivered, torn between bolting for the exit and suggesting alternative Councilmen to eat first. Zuula, however, responded with a hearty laugh before speaking in a more comforting tone.

“Hahaha…relax, little one,” she said. “I’m not going to eat you; just wanted to get a little fright out of you. I have what some consider to be a…sick sense of humor.”

“ _Yeeeeah, word of warning…Carcanods like Zuula are pretty damn obsessed with fear,_ ” Zeus explained. “ _She just loves making people squirm, but she_ usually _doesn’t mean half of it - think Halloween Town from_ The Nightmare Before Christmas, _and you’ll have a decent idea of what to expect._ ” 

“O…oh…” Eli gulped. “W-w-well, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, y-y-your majesty.”

“Oh please, no need for the formalities.” Zuula scoffed. “Besides, ‘ _Zuula_ ’ isn’t really my name. In fact, ‘Zuula’ isn’t even _considered_ a name to begin with - my real name is **Akutavara**. The word Zuula translates to ‘Queen of the Hunt’.”

“Then why use that as your name?” Becky asked curiously.

“Carcanod tradition,” Zuula answered. “To pass the trials of leadership is to become the embodiment of our race and culture; thus, you surrender your old name and become ‘Zuula’ until the next worthy bearer claims the title.” She paused to make a thoughtful click. “Besides, it rolls off the tongue better than ‘Akutavara’, don’t you think~?”

“Fascinating…” Tim seemed to be the only one genuinely interested by the lore of Zuula’s species. 

“So what about you?” Eli asked, looking at B.Nana. “What’s your story?”

“Me? Oh! Well, let’s see…uuhhh…” B.Nana scratched the wooden stump on her head, her face scrunched up with thought. “I’m a banana…I love to have fun…I come from a tropical island _waaaaay_ in the middle of the ocean…and…uuuhh……that’s really all I can remember. Bri-Bri found me stranded on some other deserted island and…I couldn’t really tell ya anything more than that.”

“When I found B.Nana, she had no recollection of where exactly she came from,” Brian elaborated. “All she knew was that she once lived among other fruit-people just like her. Sadly, she doesn’t remember where that home is, or how she even ended up on the island where I found her.”

“Wow, that’s…actually pretty sad…” Becky responded sympathetically. “I bet it was tough for you to adjust to this crazy planet.”

“For a little while, yeah…” B.Nana sighed wistfully, but her happy disposition soon returned in full. “But it’s not all bad~! I got to meet Brian and his awesome friends…including you guys just now! I’m sure I’ll find out where I came from soon enough, but hey; gonna focus on the present for now!”

“You can see why she hit it off with Brian so quickly,” Juliet snarked. “I still can’t tell whose enthusiasm is harder to keep down once they get going.”

“That’s more like it~!” Tim nodded with a smile. “A lady who has no problem with putting her past behind her and is willing to see what’s in store for her with a smile. That’s the type of person we need in this Society.”

“Aawww, you're making me blush!” B.Nana cooed as dark yellow spots appeared on her cheeks.

“Alright everyone, I’m off to prepare the Crimson Society Induction Ceremony.” Brian explained. “In the meantime, why don’t you guys give our new members a tour of the place? Show them to their rooms while you’re at it.”

“Well then, ladies~” Eli stepped in. “Stick with me and you’ll be knowing this place like the back of your hand in an hour, tops.”

“Oh boy!” B.Nana hopped up and down in excitement. “That’ll give us plenty of time for other fun stuff after the tour, right?”

“Depends on what this other fun stuff is,” Eli answered. “What’re you into? Video games? Reading? Anime? Parties? Going out and kicking ass?”

“All of those sound really good!” B.Nana chirped in excitement. “I also enjoy gardening, board games, and just plain making people smile~!”

“Yeah…maybe she’s a little _too_ positive.” Becky laughed.

With that, the two went for the tour while Brian made preparations for the induction ceremony. With two new members to add to the ranks, it looked like the Crimson Society would have a welcome increase in numbers. All seemed to be going smoothly the gang…

…So, naturally, things were going to go wrong.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Within the Azure Initiative’s headquarters. Weiss was in his main office, cleaning up his new table and adding his little touches to it - gold trim, fake diamond studs and various knick-knacks that gave it an air of gaudy superiority.

“Ha ha ha. Perfect~!” he said. “A perfect table for a perfect man like myself.” He took a seat on his new comfy chair to survey his work. “Alright, we’re officially open for business…time to get to work .” He cracked his knuckles as he brought up a projector screen. “Computer, contact Marcell Ontario.” 

“As you wish, Master Weiss.” With an innocuous beep, the computer began searching for the loudmouthed lizard’s current location, giving Weiss just enough time to put a pair of earplugs into his ears before the massive burst of sound came through.

“Marcell?” Weiss’s call was swallowed up by the loud music; from the looks of it, Marcell was in the middle of a ‘jam session’ with several other reptiles. “Marcell…!?” He started tapping his fingers on the desk, his patience running thin. Finally, he slammed his fist on the table with a shout of “MARCELL!!!!”

“WHOA!!” The frilled lizard and his band mates all jumped in shock from Weiss’s bellow. Marcell quickly looked up and saluted his boss with the traditional Death Metal hand gesture: the Devil Horns.

“YOOOO, WEISS!” he shouted. “HOW CAN I ROCK YOU TODAY?”

Weiss groaned and shook his head. “I told you to stop saying that,” he said. “Anywho, what’s your progress? Have you started your little crusade against the Crimson Cunts yet?”

“OOOH! NOT YET, BOSS-MAN! ME AND MY BANDMATES ARE STILL PRACTICING!” Marcell shouted.

“…Practicing? For what?!” Weiss roared.

“OOOH MAN, DIDN’T YOU HEAR? LUCIFER SUCKHOLE IS MAKIN’ ITS BIG COMEBACK AFTER 10 YEARS OF RETIREMENT!!!”

“Marcell, I don’t care about your stupid little Death Metal band,” Weiss groaned. “I WANT you to use that new guitar of yours to _murder_ those Society pests!”

“ALL IN DUE TIME, MAH MAN~!!!” Marcell shouted. “THIS IS GOING TO BE OUR BIGGEST SHOW YET - ONE THAT EVERYONE - _ESPECIALLY THE SOCIETY!!!_ \- WILL WANT TO SEE! WHAT WE DID BEFORE DOES NOT HOLD A _CANDLE_ TO WHAT WE’VE GOT IN STORE FOR THE WORLD **NOOOOOW!** ”

“Ugh…whatever. You know I’m the type who expects _results,_ Marcell,” Weiss growled. “And I _better_ see some results out of you.”

“YEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! I PROMISE YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED~!” Marcell punctuated his boast with a wild guitar solo, prompting Weiss to rub his temples with a groan as he cut the communication.

“Ugh…I don’t know why I even recruited that loudmouth…” Pulling the earplugs from his ears, Weiss switched the line to communicate with another member of his group. “Sylvie, come in. This is Weiss. Do you read?”

The projector soon showed the interior of an unknown laboratory, where Sylvie was busy working on a pony-like body on the table before her. “Huh? Oh! Hiya Weiss~! What’s up?”

“How’s that… _army_ …of yours coming along?” Weiss said, trying his best not to groan at the idea.

“Ohh-ho-ho…Weiss, you’re gonna love this~!” Sylvie responded. “Pony production has taken a _biiig_ jump since I got those Neo Empire resources from our new base~! At this rate, we’ll have a huge army to call our own faster than you can list off the production order of _Friendship is Magic_ Season One~!”

“Wonderful. Then keep at it.” Weiss prepared to shut off the monitor before Sylvie jumped in.

“You know Weiss, I gotta say…” she began. “You are such an _awesome_ guy, you know that? I mean, any run-of-the-mill idiot would choose N.E.D’s army of Neo-Nazi wannabes without a second thought…but you…you proved that you're _smart._ You actually chose _my ponies_ to represent the Azure Initiative as our rank-and-file…and with good reason too! After all, they’re faster, nimbler, more durable, and that’s not even getting into the _special_ versions~ They’re totally cooler than N.E.D.’s dumb ol’ soldiers - _twenty percent cooler,_ amirite~?”

“Hahaha…well, I like to think that I have a discerning eye for quality~” Weiss willed himself to focus on Sylvie’s praise instead of her self-absorbed ranting and _MLP_ references. “The _only_ reason I chose your stupid ponies is because I neither want nor need my older brother’s help,” he muttered under his breath.

“Well, Weiss, I won’t let ya down!” Sylvie giggled, oblivious to her leader’s dark comment. “Gimme a day or two, and our new army will be up, running, and chomping at the bit to take on those Crimson Losers - that’s a _Pinkie Promise!_ ” She made an exaggerated poking gesture at one eye as she spoke. “…Oh, and _when_ Marcell screws up the whole ‘thrashing those heathens with the power of metal’ and all, I’d like to call dibs on them next! I’ve got something cooked up for those red-branded bozos that’ll leave ‘em crying like a _Sonic_ fan at Bronycon~”

“Fine, fine…” Weiss sighed. “I’ll…hit you up with a message or something, whatever. Just get back to what you were doing, and _don’t_ fuck it up.”

“Aye-aye, sir! Sylvie out!” The evil woman-in-a-girl’s body winked as transmissions shut down. Weiss shook his head before pressing a button on the intercom.

“Amethyst, find Quantum for me,” he said irritably. “I need an update on his _special project_.”

“One step ahead of ya, Weissy!” the goat-girl chirped over her communicator. “I’m actually with him right now - we’re just working out some bugs with the technorganic interface! Once that’s together, we’ll be ready to start the physical testing - right now, it’s lookin’ even better than we hoped~!”

“Good to know…but once you’re done there, get up to my office ASAP.” Weiss slumped in his chair with a heavy sigh. “I need some of your special stress relief……and I do mean _special_.”

“Hehehe…no problemo~!” Amethyst answered with a mischievous grin. She was just about to check on Quantum’s project when another interruption came; her phone was ringing. _Ooh…that better not be who I think it is…_ Making a “be right back” gesture at Quantum, she stepped into the next room and answered her phone.

“Hello~?” The cyborg goat frowned as she recognized the faint voice on the other end. “…Why are you calling me? I _told_ you not to phone me when I’m at work…” A sigh of frustration escaped her as the voice went on. “…I don’t need you to baby me anymore; I can take care of myself! Besides, as long as I’m with Weissy, he won’t even _think_ of looking for you! It’s a win-win for both of us~”

The voice on the other end was unconvinced, forcing Amethyst to take a deep breath before continuing in a gentler tone. “Look…I understand you’re worried, but I promise you…Weiss _loves_ me. He’s not going to double-cross me or put my life at risk…and if he even _thinks_ of threatening you, he’s got another thing coming~! So you can stop being such a Debbie Downer and let me live my life~” She glanced behind her to see Quantum standing at the door, looking at her expectantly. “Uh oh, the co-workers need some more help. Gotta go; love ya, and goodbye!”

Before the voice on the other line could protest, Amethyst shut her phone off and walked back into the other room. She gave Quantum a flirty “my lips are sealed” gesture before returning to work, but she couldn’t stop herself from shaking her head slightly.

_It’ll be fine. I’m exactly where I always wanted to be……right?_

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the Crimson Society Headquarters, the group had gathered outside near a large, newly-drawn pedestal. Their hybrid Councilman and their new soon-to-be members stood at its center while the others watched from the sidelines.

“Brittany Nana and Zuula,” Brian began. “You two are about to take part in what is going to be one of the biggest, most awesome groups in the world…assuming we survive the assault of our disgraced former members. I’m not gonna lie - this is gonna be _ugly,_ no two ways about it. You’ll be tested at every turn, expected to give it your all…and be ready to stare down death, dismemberment, and some of the biggest jackasses to ever walk the face of the Nexus.” He paused long enough to let his words sink in. “In the face of all that crazy shit…do you pledge to stay loyal, fight your hardest, and try to squeeze in some fun on the side?”

The two women placed their right hands on their chests, giving loud cries of “Yes Sir!” to their new leader. Brian smiled and held out two name tags.

“Then by the powers vested in me as a Councilman…I welcome you to the Crimson Society! Your titles will be ‘ **The Fruity One** ’ and ‘ **Madam Eldritch Horror** ’…unless you have any better ideas, in which case, I’m all ears.”

B.Nana, naturally, gave a hearty cheer of delight, hopping and clapping excitedly. “Oh boy oh boy oh boy!” she squealed. “We’re now members of a really important group! It’s like a dream come true! Somebody pinch me, I must be dr- OW!!”

“What? You asked~” Zuula chuckled mischievously before looking to her new friends. “At any rate, this is indeed a wonderful moment for us all…and I feel that a celebration is in order for this occasion. That is why I’d like to propose a fun little activity for us…” She flicked out her tentacles, each holding a shiny golden ticket. “I’d like to invite six of you to the ‘Battle of the Bands’ metal showcase being held tonight at Quasar Point. It’s going to be one hell of a show~!“

“Holy shit!” Brian inspected the tickets with growing amazement. “These aren’t just regular tickets…these are **V.I.P.** tickets! How in the hell did you manage to get these?!”

“We have your mentor to thank for that,” Zuula replied. “He rescued a big-time sponsor for the Battle of the Bands on one of his missions; they gave him these tickets as a reward. For some reason, he _insisted_ that I take them and ‘enjoy the show on my behalf’ - perhaps he’s worried about being overdressed for such an event~?”

“Nah, that’s just how Dad is,” Juliet chuckled. “Wouldn’t stop to see the birth of a new universe if there’s work to do…and the work never stops on this looney planet.”

“Ooh, I _love_ concerts!” B.Nana immediately leapt over and grabbed a ticket from the nearest tentacle. “WHO WILL JOIN US?!”

“As much as I’d like to, I’ll pass,” Eli said. “Someone’s gotta stay behind and make plans for dealin’ with Marcell, and live concerts always hurt my ears.”

“Judging by the bands that’ll be playing, I’ll pass too.” Max said. “Metal isn’t really my cup of tea - if I want to hear roaring and screeching, I’d just watch a monster movie.”

“Pssh…suit yourself.” Zuula scoffed. “Any takers?”

“Well, you know me~” Scafe chuckled. “Any metal is good metal to me. Count me in!”

“If Scafey’s going, so am I,” Becky chimed in. “Never hurts to do a good ol’ round of headbanging…and I even have built-in ice dispensers for the drinks~!” She emphasized her point by snapping her fingers, creating a delicate ice crystal between them.

“I have a distinct taste in music…and it ain’t metal most of the time…” Juliet began. “But I’d rather listen to it than just sit here with nothing to do; ‘sides, then I can bug Dad about all the stuff he missed. Count me in.”

“I’ve never heard metal music before!” Emily chirped. “I wanna see what all the fuss is about and why it’s so popular! So I’ll go too!”

“I’d better come along and make sure you don’t get _too_ excited.” Brian smirked at his girlfriend as she stuck her multicolored tongue out at him. “It’ll be a nice opportunity to catch up with you and B.Nana, Zuula……although…”

“Although…what?” Zuula asked curiously.

“…Heh…it’s kinda funny…aside from Marcell’s godawful bullshit, I haven’t heard any talk about metal music since……since…” Brian trailed off, seemingly stuck on his next words. Suddenly, his expression sunk and his ears drooped a little. Zuula and B.Nana were confused, but Eli knew exactly what was going through Brian’s mind.

“…Brian…you’re talking about _him_ …aren’t ya?” The chinchilla placed a hand on his fellow Councilman’s shoulder as he spoke. Brian only sighed in response and rubbed his temples, clearly lost in thought.

“W-what’s wrong, Bri-Bri?” B.Nana immediately went to Brian’s open side, searching for any hint to the source of his distress.

“Well…it’s a long story, but…let’s just say I lost someone very important to me not too long ago.” Brian heaved a deep sigh as depressing memories surfaced. “I found him wandering the streets of Eukora Town; he had nowhere to go, so I let him crash with me at my old house. We became good friends…but then he ran away out of the blue one night. God knows why…but I’ve never seen him since…”

“Ah yes…” Tim frowned as he realized what Brian was talking about. “His loss was a terrible time for us all…especially given the circumstances.” It was telling that he didn’t even notice the opportunity for his signature terrible quips.

“Shit… S-Sorry, Brian,” Zuula said regretfully. “I…didn’t mean to bring back a bad memory.”

“No, no…it’s fine.” Brian’s smile was shaky, but genuine. “I’ve moved on from that tragedy; I’ve coped and continued to press on with my life. He would have wanted that anyways.”

“ _Yeah!_ ” Zeus agreed. “ _We don’t have to let that stop us from missing an epic metal concert! After suffering through that idiot Marcell’s ‘musical talent’, it’d be nice to hear some_ actual _professionals again._ ”

“Couldn’t agree with you more, Zeus.” Zuula grinned. “Then it’s settled - just in time too, because the concert will start in three hours. We’d best get moving if we don’t want to miss it!”

“Max, since you and the others are staying, I’m trusting you to keep tabs on the place,” Brian said. “If anything suspicious or Azure-related happens, contact us as soon as you can.”

“You can count on us, Sarge,” the bear replied.

“That’s good.” Brian smiled. “Alright, gang! Let’s go get our metal on!”

With that, Zuula, Brian, and the others set out to Quasar Point for the Battle of the Bands. With two new members in the Society, the group’s rebirth is going swimmingly. Will more follow suit? What awaits them at the concert? And what of Marcell? Only time will tell…

**-THE SOCIETY WILL RETURN-**


	2. Welcome to the Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With B.Nana and Zuula joining their ranks, it seems like the tables might turn on Marcell.

# Tales of the Society - The Azure Age

## Chapter 4.2: Welcome to the Show

**_Previously on_ “Tales of the Society”…**

_In the wake of Marcell’s challenge-slash-aural assault on the entire Surface, the Society began making preparations for the battle ahead. Realizing that they needed backup, Emily convinced Brian to recruit their friends/tenants/resident oddities B.Nana and Zuula. Brian was reluctant, but things went remarkably smoothly - the two girls were more than happy to finally do something exciting after being stuck at the Kingsley household for so long, and the Society welcomed them with open arms…more or less._

_To commemorate their induction, Zuula offered six members of the group V.I.P. tickets to the Battle of the Bands at Quasar Point; conveniently, exactly six members wanted to go. Brian, however, went with some reluctance, as the lineup reminded him of a long-lost friend who had vanished without explanation; nonetheless, he resolved to work past it and enjoy his night out. Alas, our friends will soon discover that work and play are not so easily separated…especially with the Azure Initiative laying groundwork for future plans…_

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“MY AWESOME BAND MATES!! LISTEN UP!” Marcell shouted, strumming his guitar for emphasis. “PREPARATIONS ARE FINALLY COMPLETE! IT’S TIME TO _BRING THE NOISE!_ ”

The cry was answered by three yells and one beastly roar of enthusiasm, coming from the quartet of lizards standing in front of the crazed ex-Society member. All of them were dressed in an array of black leather and silver accessories such as chains, spikes, and piercings, and all of them carried various instruments on their persons. The one in the front - a sinister-looking Jackson’s Chameleon with a bass guitar slung over his back - raised a scaly fist in solidarity, his words unimpeded by his lolling, piercing-riddled tongue.

“Just what I wanted to hear…Doomshredder.” In sharp contrast to his bandmate, the chameleon spoke in a bland, lethargic tone, although his fervent conviction was audible.

“Yeah, boss!” The next acknowledgement came from a Gliding Dragon whose spindly red-and-yellow frame was made even more insubstantial by the way he constantly jittered and twitched. Despite this, he seemed unimpeded by the large backpack he wore, a snare drum visible from the unzipped top. “We’re gonna kick those Crimson Cunts so hard, their great-great-great-great-great-great-grandcousins twice removed on their father’s sides are gonna burst into flames and die in total agony, screaming curses at the winds as they’re dragged into Hell for eternal raping by snakemen made entirely of nails and-”

“Jeez, Soulbeater, take a _breath!_ ” The speaker was a Thorny Devil whose spines curved in every direction, shaking her head at the spindly reptile’s antics. “Now then…ahem…My lord. While I have no reason to question your grand plan to destroy the Society…my biggest concern is…will they even show up to our concert?”

“OHH, THEY WILL, HELLFINGERS!!!” Marcell cried. “THOSE CRIMSON JERKWADS THINK THEY’RE STILL THE HEROES OF THIS STORY - THEY’LL COME OUT TO TRY AND STOP US FROM SPREADING THE WORD OF METAL TO EVERYONE ON THE NEXUS!!! AND WHEN THEY DO, WE’LL ROCK ‘EM HARD ENOUGH TO SPLATTER THEIR GUTS **ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE AZURE HQ!!!** ”

“That’s great and all, but I just think we need to take some necessary precautions in case-” Hellfingers was suddenly interrupted when a large hippopotamus stormed in, roaring like a monster.

“DEATHBRAAAAAAAWWL!” he yelled.

Marcell laughed and gave the thumbs up. “YEAAAH! THAT’S RIGHT, DEATHBRAWL! WE ARE GONNA MAKE IT **BLOODY!!!** NOW WHAT’S UP!?”

“DEATHBRAAAAAAWWWLL!” the hippo bellowed back.

“Whazzat? The Society’s goin’ to Quasar Point?” Soulbeater twitched as he grabbed a bottle of Tabasco sauce from within his flame-decaled vest. “Fuckin’ hell…they must wanna see the Battle of the Bands!” He flipped off the top of the bottle with a clawed thumb before chugging the entirety of its contents in a single long swig.

“HA HA HAAAAA!!!” Marcell pumped his fist triumphantly. “I _KNEW_ THOSE FUCKERS COULDN’T RESIST THE CALL OF MUSIC!!! THIS IS JUST WHAT WE NEED TO KEEP ‘EM ON SCHEDULE FOR THE MAIN EVENT!!!”

“DEATHBRAAAAAWWWWWL!” The hippo roared in agreement with his leader, prompting the final member of Lucifer Suckhole to stir.

“Are you certain that our agents will be able to harm the Society?” Despite an incredibly large, muscular frame and stark white face paint resembling a ghastly skull, the hulking Komodo Dragon at the back of the group spoke in a soft rasp barely above a whisper.

“ _HELL_ NAW, DEATHSCREAMER!!!” Marcell shouted back. “IF THOSE DUDES MANAGE TO EVEN _SCRATCH_ THE SOCIETY LIMPDICKS, I’LL BE DAMN IMPRESSED!!! BUT THAT AIN’T THE POINT - ALL WE NEED TO DO IS GET THEM OFF THEIR ASSES AND ONTO OUR ISLAND!!!”

“Well, that won’t be a problem, boss~!” Soulbeater chortled. “Our fans have their orders; they’re about as loyal as Deathbrawl is good at breaking someone’s spine with his fingertips!”

“DEATHBRAAAAAWWWLLL!!!” the hippo thundered appreciatively.

“ALRIGHTY THEN, BOYS AND GIRLS!!!” Marcell announced. “OUR CRIMSON CRAPAZOIDS WANT A SHOW… **SO LET’S _GIVE_ ‘EM ONE!!!**”

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An hour before the show was about to start, the skies above Quasar Point were darkened by a sleek red airship. It resembled an impossibly-advanced fighter jet, but much, much larger; the very ground seemed to shake as it descended on a plain not too far from the site of the upcoming concert.

“Aaaaand…perfect landing~” Brian said as he walked out of the airship. “So was I right or was I right?” 

“Holy pears, Brian…where did you even get the money, let alone the building team to create such an awesome airship?!” B.Nana asked, examining the ship with obvious awe. 

“ _Well…let’s just say that ol’ Weiss and his crew weren’t_ completely _useless._ ” Zeus smirked. “ _They left us some valuable goodies - it’s a damn good thing we kept this one in a hangar separate from the old HQ…_ ”

“Yeah, those fuckers ain’t getting their ship back,” Juliet scoffed. “So we made some adjustments, gave the ship a nice paint job, and removed what was left of Weiss’s stench from it. And just like that, the _Ruby Revenant_ was born.”

“Very impressive,” Zuula clicked. “If it’s even half as lethal as it looks, I could enjoy using it in our upcoming hunts~”

“We’re still adding some new toys to it, but in terms of flying capabilities; it’s as smooth as a B.Nana’s peel,” Brian added.

“Less tech talk, more walk-walk! We have a concert to attend, guys!” Emily shouted.

“Alright alright, hold your undead horses,” Scafe mock-griped. “Man, and here I thought zombies were supposed to be _slow…_ ”

“Well, if you look over yonder, you can see our destination of interest~” One of Zuula’s upper tentacles pointed to a cluster of tents in the distance, illuminated by multi-colored spotlights. Even at this distance, the group could hear faint strains of cheers and bustling as other concert-goers filed in. 

“Daaaaamn. It’s a full house!” Scafe gawked. “You don’t see this kind of crowd in other concerts! …except boy bands.”

Juliet groaned at the thought. “Dear god…there better not be any of _those_ here as ‘special guests’ or some shit…”

“We have to go through _that_ massive monstrosity?!” Becky exclaimed, more than a bit intimidated by the size of the crowd.

Zuula chuckled as she turned to her friends. “As much as I’d like to say otherwise…you’ve nothing to fear.” she said. “Since we are the V.I.Ps, all we have to do is show our tickets to the bouncer and he’ll take us to the reserved seats.” 

“Thank the Nexus for V.I.P. tickets~!” Brian responded with a sigh of relief. “Well, let’s hurry; the show starts in an hour!”

With that, Brian led his friends made their way towards the concert. After handing their tickets to the bouncer, they were led through a wrought-iron gate to their V.I.P. seating arrangements; a series of comfortably cushy chairs near the front of the audience.

“Mmmmm~ Now _this_ is how you really enjoy a concert,” Becky settled back in her chair with an appreciative sigh.

“So, uh, Zuula…who _is_ performing tonight?” Brian asked.

“Can’t say; the info was rather cryptic.” Zuula shrugged. “All I could make out was _A Battle to Die For_ or something cheesy like that…which is why I bought tickets for multiple people! This way, _someone_ among us is bound to like whoever shows up, right?”

“ _Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence,_ ” Zeus grumbled. “ _I_ knew _there was something more to this gesture of-_ ”

“Shh!” B.Nana hissed. “The show’s about to begin!”

Sure enough, the crowd went silent as the lights went out, save for a single spotlight that focused on the host of the event. As they gave a heartfelt - albeit standard - series of greetings, Brian took the opportunity to idly glance at his surroundings. The massive central stage stood beneath an even larger tent, with substantial openings on all sides to give it an open-air feel. The stands were packed with people as far as the eye could see, with the Nexus’s characteristic variety; there were humans, robots, anthropomorphic animals, and species that Brian couldn’t even begin to identify.

 _Isn’t this great, Zeus?_ he thought. _So many people from all walks of life, gathered under one roof to share in the culture of the Nexus…this is what I want our Society to be one day~_

“And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve been waiting for! The 18th Quasar Point Battle of the Bands!” The announcer called from center stage. “We have some rockin’ up and comers and some veterans of metal in our lineup tonight! And first up-”

Just before the announcer introduced the first band, a handful of people among the crowd rushed the stage with various implements, wearing clothes with bloody demonic imagery and screaming like profane berserkers. The announcer barely had time to yelp as the bulk of the gang pounced on him, leaving a larger fellow to grab the microphone and address the crowd.

“Sorry to inform you all, but no band performing today is anywhere _close_ to the level of _LUCIFER SUCKHOLE!!_ **Suckholites** represent!” A decent fraction of the crowd cried out in response to the “Suckholite’s” devil-horns gesture while his fellows beat on the hapless announcer with their clubs.

“What the cheese-grinding _fuck?_ ” Even Brian was at a loss for his usual creative swear conga as he stared at the stage, partially frozen by this show of animosity. “…Wait…Lucifer Su- OH, FOR FUCK’S SAKE! That’s Marcell’s shitty screaming band!”

The hybrid’s snap caused the audience to all turn his way, many with murder in their eyes. Brian’s ears sank as he belatedly realized that much of the group was only a few rows away from him and his friends.

“…Uhm…I mean…Marcell’s _cool_ screaming band…?” His belated correction prompted a groan and a facepalm from Scafe.

“God _dammit,_ Brian.” Juliet mimicked Scafe’s groan, her katana ready as the crowd started to swarm the Society members. Brian was quick to knock them on their ass with a hastily drawn boxing glove as big as himself, with Emily gleefully leaping into deal with some of the grounded Suckholites. Becky brought up several large ice spires to scatter the incoming horde, allowing Scafe and Juliet to pick them off with their swords.

As the Society group fought the angry crowd, Brian noticed something off about their attackers; their amateur swings, single-minded sluggishness, and oddly unfocused stares. “Guys…guys, back off!!” He hastily drew up a wall to separate his friends from the horde.

“The hell, Silk-Butt?!” Juliet snapped. “I was just getting warmed up!”

“These are **civilians!** They’re being brainwashed into attacking us or something; they’re barely able to defend themselves!” Brian cried out, his heroic nature taking the wheel as usual. “We gotta get outta here before we get someone killed…”

“How?” Becky queried, motioning to the cage gate doors being barricaded by the Suckholites near the back. “If we can’t kill these suckers, how are we gonna get around ‘em if they’re that hell-bent on killing us?”

“Duhhh!” Emily replied. “We just gotta improvise!” As she spoke, she mutated her arms into electrified whips - despite their lethal-looking appearances, they only elicited pained yelps from the few civilians that managed to get around Brian’s wall. 

“Improvise? I’m good at that!” B.Nana chirped from the back, holding up a basket of fruits. “I came prepared for this!”

“God, Brittany, can you just _focus_ for fu-” Before Scafe could finish his complaint, B.Nana chucked a mango from her basket over the wall before them. On impact with the horde, it released a potent noxious gas that left them gasping for air and stumbling about almost drunkenly. “…Well, uh…that’s new.”

“Brian didn’t tell ya? I know how to make fruit with a real kick. Sometimes an explosive one, sometimes a dizzy one like that…or just a painful one like these~” B.Nana giddily grabbed the vine of grapes from the basket and chucked it at the entrance, causing it to fire off all of its grapes like riot pellets, forcing the surrounding Suckholites to the ground.

“We got an opening; move it, everyone!” Brian barked, drawing up another long wall from one side while Zuula whipped down the other Suckholites coming up around the other; the unlucky people to meet the flailing tentacles dropped like sacks of potatoes, screaming in pain despite no visible wounds. The Carcanod’s grin was as wide as ever, her eye glinting as she backed up with her friends.

“Sorry, boys and girls, but you’re not quite worthy of being prey~ Take a while to train up before you seek us out again~!” Zuula’s clicking laughter made a few of the others exchange glances before looking at Brian and Emily.

“Uhh…that’s normal for these…Carcanod things, right?” Becky asked.

“Yup!” Emily chirped back. “They’re _really_ serious about their hunts - it’s like a national sport, but with more blood!”

The lead Suckholite gave a scream of frustration as his targets slowly fought their way through the crowd. “Trying to make an early exit, eh…NOT ON MY WATCH, FUCKERS!!!” Tearing off his hoodie - revealing himself as a heavily-tattooed anthro Cassowary - he pulled out what looked like an unholy combination of a guitar and a machine gun. ”If I want somethin’ killed right, I gotta do it _myself!_ ”

“Guys! We got some _serious_ heat coming up from the big guy!!” The words had barely left Becky’s mouth when the bird-man began furiously strumming the guitar strings, causing a hail of bullets to erupt from the barrel of his gun. With Brian occupied with drawing up another wall on the left side, the red-haired cryomancer quickly summoned several large ice boulders to block the incoming gunfire.

“Shit! We can’t move this rubble with all that heat coming our way!” Scafe yelled behind his cover, prompting B.Nana to pull the banana from her bowl.

“I got it! Stand back, boys - BANANA BOMBS AWAY!”

Brian instinctively knew what this meant; he dove as far from the door as he could as a cluster of explosions easily broke it open. For good measure, B.Nana dumped out the rest of her basket near the center stage, bombarding the Elite Suckholite with Cherry Cold Snaps, Orange Concussions, and even Combustible Lemons.

“FUCK FUCK FUCK **FUCK!!!** ” The Cassowary’s strumming stopped as he hopped backwards to focus on his survival, giving the Society a much-needed window to flee out the open gate. From there, the group quickly fled to the _Ruby Revenant_ , only to find even more hostile civilians swarming to meet them.

“Crap, we’re getting surrounded out here!” Scafe mentions to his group, blocking an assailant with his scimitar.

“Oh, garlic cloves! I _knew_ I should’ve brought more bombs! What do we do now-” B.Nana’s cry was lost as a powerful screech rang out over the crowd, stunning many of the brainwashed minions.

“There - move it!!” Juliet’s shout cued her friends to make a break for the open space, a few balls of fire covering their flanks to dissuade pursuit. As Brian ran, he had to make a quick spin to fend off a few incoming reinforcements, causing him to glimpse the source of the fireballs: a small bat-like creature. With a final salvo of burning projectiles, it dove out of the air and returned to the side of someone standing near the entrance of the now-ruined music festival - even at this distance, it looked oddly familiar.

_Am I going mad? That almost looks like…like-_

“Brian, eyes forward!” Scafe’s warning was the last thing Brian heard before he brained himself on a tree branch. With a sigh, the dragon doubled back to pick him up and carry him into the ship.

“Dude, that short attention span is gonna get your ass wrecked one of these days…” He set him down as he ordered the takeoff, leaving Brian to process what he’d just seen in his unconscious slumber.

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Back at Zangaikotsu Island, Marcell oversaw the collapse of the Battle of the Bands from a television screen, laughing like a maniac. “AWWW YEAH! NOW THAT’S SOME METAL FUCKIN’ CARNAGE!!!”

“But those Crimson Fuckshits managed to escape unharmed,” Hellfingers noted. “We barely even slowed them down…”

“SO FUCKIN WHAT!? I GOT WHAT I WANTED OUTTA THAT LITTLE BIT OF CHAOS! THAT QUASAR POINT BATTLE OF THE BANDS IS CANCELLED FOR SURE…WHICH MEANS THAT WE CAN GET A HELL OF A LOT MORE SUCKHOLITES OVER TO OUR OWN CONCERT OUT HERE!”

“So I just got those flyers out all over Eukora Town, and now they’re being handed out at the ruined site of that Battle of the Bands,” Gloomstrummer paused before rubbing his scaly chin thoughtfully. “More proof that this world is a strange and futile place…”

“So now we just gotta get those boats comin’ this way, and we’ll have our own personal metal army here at our doorstep?” Soulbeater asked eagerly.

“HELL FUCKIN **YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!** ” Marcell’s enthusiasm was showing in the frenetic riff he pulled on his guitar. “AND THEN THE WHOLE DAMN NEXUS IS GONNA BE SHAKIN’ IN THEIR PRISSY LITTLE BOOTS BEFORE DROWNING IN THE WAVES OF PURE **AWESOMENESS** THAT IS THE MUSIC OF _LUCIFER SUCKHOOOOOLE!!!_ ”

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Over the choppy open seas, a small fleet of boats slowly sailed towards Zangaikotsu Island. On one of the boats from Quasar Point, the figure who Brian had seen earlier shifted uncomfortably amid the other reckless metalheads. His features were obscured by a dark-colored coat, but his form was clearly that of a small Equestria-brand unicorn - an almost comical contrast to his company, were it not for the wicked magnum held within the aqua-blue aura of his magic. However, the gun’s owner had no intention of using it at the moment; instead, he idly turned it in mid air, pointing in random directions - even at himself - as he reflected on his earlier actions.

 _Welp…that was_ pretty fucking dicey _back there! Almost thought they weren’t gonna make it out alive for a second…guess I can still do_ something _right after all._ The unicorn gave a grim snort that was muffled by the collar of his hoodie. _I hope none of ‘em saw me, though…the last thing they need right now is to be distracted by trying to-_

The pony’s thoughts were interrupted when he was approached by an otherwise-innocuous anthro raccoon-dog. “Yo, this seat taken?” He sat down without waiting for an answer. “This is gonna be stupid fun, if _that_ craziness was any indication.”

“Yeah…maybe.” The small pony sighed. “Still don’t feel like I belong here.”

“Boy, you lookin’ to belong, you’re in the _wrong_ crowd.” The raccoon laughed to himself. “I’ve seen some chill metalheads, and these bitches have _nooo_ chill…eh, it doesn’t matter. It ain’t like I’m here to make friends…nah, I’m just here to have a bit of _fun~_ ” His smile gained a sinister edge at the last word.

“I…don’t think I wanna know your definition of fun…” The pony groaned, putting a hoof to his covered face as his new seating buddy rambled on. With Marcell’s new army rapidly mustering on Zangaikotsu island, and Brian out of commission to ruminate on what he’d seen, how will the Society fight off this army of anarchy?

**-THE SOCIETY WILL RETURN-**


	3. The Apocalypse Will Be Broadcast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian’s mind may not be on the Azure Initiative at the moment; during their escape, the Society was aided by a mysterious flying creature commanded by an oddly familiar-looking figure. Unbeknownst to the spider-bunny, his distant helper has a history of sorts with the Society...and he’s also en route to Zangaikotsu Island to join Marcell’s army of metal-loving minions! Will his path cross the Society’s in the coming conflict - and will he be a friend...or foe?

# Tales of the Society - The Azure Age

## Chapter 4.3: The Apocalypse will be Broadcast

**_Previously on_ “Tales of the Society”…**

_Using their newly-refurbished airship, the_ Ruby Revenant _, Brian, Emily, Scafe, Becky, Juliet, B.Nana, and Zuula went to Quasar Point to watch the annual Battle of the Bands - a welcome chance to relax before they focused on the looming threat of Marcell and his sonic warfare on the Surface. Alas, the loudmouthed lizard had plans of his own for the event: namely, sending his “Suckholite” minions to crash the party! The Society’s fight was complicated when they realized that the bulk of the metal-crazed maniacs were brainwashed civilians - unwilling to harm innocent victims of Marcell’s evil plan, they fled the premises to regroup and accelerate their strike on the reptilian villain._

_However, Brian’s mind may not be on the Azure Initiative at the moment; during their escape, the Society was aided by a mysterious flying creature commanded by an oddly familiar-looking figure. Unbeknownst to the spider-bunny, his distant helper has a history of sorts with the Society...and he’s also en route to Zangaikotsu Island to join Marcell’s army of metal-loving minions! Will his path cross the Society’s in the coming conflict - and will he be a friend...or a foe?_

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Brian woke up to a dull pain in his forehead, a bobbing sensation around him, and the soft lapping of waves. Looking around, he saw that the entire Society milling about on a boat of some sort.

“Uhn…my head… Where am I now?” The hybrid struggled to sit up, prompting Max to appear at his side.

“Easy there, Sarge; we’re on the open seas,” the bear explained. “We’ve gathered enough info about Marcell’s plans from that Battle of the Bands you attended, and Eli triangulated the source of those awful signals. Juliet used her contacts to get us a boat, and now we’re heading to Zangaikotsu Island.”

“Gh…I see…” Brian smiled weakly as Max helped him to his feet. “Wait…where’s Tavo?” He looked around, much to Max’s confusion.

“Uhh……you might wanna lie down a bit more; Scafe said you hit your head pretty hard back there…” Max spoke cautiously as he redoubled his survey of Brian’s condition. “Tavo’s been gone a long time…”

“No, no…Max, I _saw_ Tavo out there with my own eyes!” Brian shifted as much as he could to look Max eye-to-mask-lens. “At Quasar Point, I saw him! He even helped us escape - we might not have gotten outta there without killing someone if he didn’t bail us out.” He seemed almost excited at this prospect. “Don’t you get it - he’s still out there, and he’s still okay!”

“Hm… Well, he might still be out there, then. We’ll keep our eyes peeled, Brian…but…” Max trailed off as an unpleasant thought came to him.

“…‘But’ what?” Brian prodded.

“…Given the circumstances…” Max took a breath and braced himself to mention his thought. “…What if he’s…with _them_? You said yourself that he was out there at the Battle of the Bands with those maniacs - maybe he was with them and wanted to see you escape rather than watch you suffer?”

“…Are you saying Tavo might be working for Marcell?” Brian’s voice carried some indignation.

“I’m saying we can’t discount the _possibility,_ ” Max clarified. “And we’ll have to consider it further if we see him again out th-”

“You’re _not_ going to hurt him - not on your fuckin’ lives.” Brian’s tone went deadly serious in a heartbeat, making Max recoil as if he’d been socked in the face. “I know he’s been in and out of our doors, but he’s always been a close friend of mine; I know he’d want nothing more than to help us.”

More than ever, Max was grateful for his mask - it hid his skepticism from the impassioned hybrid before him. “…If you say so, Brian…you alright? Good to go?”

“…Y-yeah. I’m fine. Just…still gonna feel my head pounding after that last whack…” Shrugging himself off of Max’s arm, Brian stepped outside, rubbing his head. As a result, he spotted the craggy profile of Zangaikotsu Island looming before him, with about twenty mid-sized boats on the shoreline.

“ _…Oh god dammit,_ ” Zeus cursed. “ _Looks like Marcell’s expecting either us or one hell of a turnout; he called in a plus-sized welcoming committee._ ”

“Survey says there’s at most four thousand of those civvies on the island, seeing as one of those ships holds 200…” Eli called from the wheel. “Chances are we’re gonna have to pacify ‘em before we try to go inland.”

“And they’re just the least of our problems.” Scafe pointed out several odd shanties dotting the beach, rumbling ominously. “I think we’ve found how Marcell’s gathering his ‘Suckholites.’ Those shanties contain the long-range speakers that let him bombard whole cities with his noise - if we wanna get close, we’ll need some _serious_ soundproofing.”

“I gotcha covered, then.” Brian nodded as he started drawing up earbuds for everyone. “An old friend showed me how to make these - sound-dampening plugs with built-in comms. We can keep in touch using these without worrying about the sound outside ‘em…Those without ears, you should be fine, yeah?”

“Yeah, I think so!” B.Nana nodded along with Zuula. “Nothing wrong with a little racket…even if it kinda sounds like a bunch of cute fluffy animals falling into a volcano…” She shuddered as a particularly loud chord drifted out over the water.

“Alright, then we’ve got our mission!” Brian cheered as the last vestiges of his headache vanished. “First we cut the power to those speakers; chances are, we can do that from some central control panel. Then we go and take Marcell down!”

“Not so fast, Sarge,” Eli warned. “Did a little more digging; looks like the rest of Lucifer Suckhole is here…along with their _actual_ fans.” He scowled at the thought of people who actually _agreed_ with Marcell’s vision of music. “Likely that we’ll have to kick the entire band’s asses too, and we’ll probably be free and clear to put the real hurt on the ones who’re _choosing_ to do this shit.”

“Right…assuming we get past the brainwashed flunkies,” Scafe repeated. “We’ll need some sort of dis…tract…ion…” He trailed off as he saw fireworks coming off the east side of the island; upon closer inspection, several hundred of people were meandering over to watch, being much less under the sway of Marcell’s noise between the break in music and the loud explosions of the fireworks.

“Ooh, pretty~!” Emily gasped in awe at the pyrotechnics overhead.

“Yes…and convenient as well. They’ll be too distracted to notice us approaching the island.” Athena noted.

“Jackpot! Let’s hit land right there, between those two ships.” Becky pointed out an open space on the shoreline that Juliet piloted the boat towards; one landing later, the Society was climbing out and making their way past the beach. They soon found themselves looking over a large staging area - including an actual stage - along with several of what they’d dubbed the “Elite” Suckholites.

“Alright, here’s the plan,” Brian said. “We need two teams; one to fight their way to Marcell and Co. and one to cut the cord to their noise. Max, Zuula, you two get to that station up there; the control panel’s gotta be there.” He pointed out the control tower at the far edge of the stage, a wicked-looking mass of metal beams draped in banners displaying images of over-the-top brutality that wouldn’t be out of place in _DOOM_ or _Duke Nukem_.

“Yeeep, this is _definitely_ Marcell’s turf,” Scafe snorted. “All that’s missing is the constant shriek of his so-called ‘tunes’…” Not even a moment after saying so, a brand new riff started blaring out of the speakers, not only around the gate next to the control tower, but all over the island.

“Damn it, Scafe…” Eli took a moment to facepalm before refocusing on the mission. “That tower’s too exposed for the whole operation…chances are it just controls the gate there…wait.” He paused to do a double take. “Is…is that a fucking _castle gate?_ ” he stammered in disbelief.

“Wow…this island is a metalhead’s paradise.” Max shook his head as he took in the surroundings. “The scenery evoking Satan’s fan club, the blaring music and screaming, the…blood waterfalls…All it’s missing now is a doorbell that plays a guitar riff.”

“ _Knowing Marcell, he’s probably already beat you to it,_ ” Zeus quipped.

“Hey, less speculating, more asskicking!” Juliet hissed. “We’ve gotta crash this jam session before it overtakes the whole damn Nexus!”

“No argument here.” Everyone whipped about at the unfamiliar voice as the raccoon-dog sauntered up behind them. Sensing hostility, he raised his hands placatingly. “Easy, I ain’t workin with those Suckholes - just lookin’ for a good time.”

“Define _good time_ ,” Scafe growled, subtly inching over to put himself between Becky and the newcomer as the latter shrugged - beside him, Tim snickered as several time-related puns came to mind.

“Wrecking faces, throwing chairs, blowing shit up…just having a hell of a time with making the most outta this musical shitfest.” A look of disgust came to the newcomer’s face as he looked past the Society to the speakers blaring Marcell’s latest dirge. “Seriously, I’ve heard _castrations_ less painful than this crap.”

“…Yeah, no way he’s working with them,” Eli said blandly. “They’d never say their music’s crap…”

“Well then, _do_ excuse me for asking this simple little question.” Brian folded his arms, scrutinizing the newcomer with all eight eyes. “…Who _are_ you?”

“Tsch. Who am I?” The mysterious character chuckled at the question. “ _Who am I??_ Let’s just say I’m the kind of motherfucker you don’t wanna tango with in a dark alley~”

“ _That…is NOT helping your case,_ Zeus groaned.

“Alright, alright…jokes aside now. The name’s **Dante.** ”

“Dante?! YOU MEAN LIKE FROM _DMC?!_ ” B.Nana squealed.

“Nah.” Dante’s smirk somehow became even cockier. “That red-coated tryhard couldn’t compare t-”

“OMIGOD OMIGOD OMIGOD! SAY _FUCK YOU!_ ” B.Nana interrupted, her eyes looking ready to pop out of her head with excitement.

“....What?” Dante responded.

“Come on! Say it!! Say _Fuck you!_ ”

“Ugh…I get the feeling she’s not entirely there. Anyways, you guys wanna get in there to wreck house, eh? Then I’ll tag along…” Dante pulled a small metal stick from his belt, thumbing a switch on its side as his smile gained a hint of bloodlust. “Looks like your mummy-faced friend’s a step ahead of us too…”

The Society turned to see that Max had indeed disabled the control tower while Dante was introducing himself - as they predicted, there was another solo as the drawbridge fell. The Suckholites below were yelling in shock and confusion as the tower collapsed into the sinkhole that had “mysteriously” opened up beneath it seconds ago - satisfied that Max had them occupied, Scafe returned his attention to the more pressing issue.

“Uuuhh, listen…‘Dante,’ right?” he began. “I don’t mean to be rude, but you are literally just some random raccoon guy who just so happened to have found us…and you immediately wanna tag along? We barely know you, nor do we know the ‘full extent’ of your interest in wanting to take down Marcell. You’re gonna need to give us more than that.”

“Scafe, if he’s gonna join us to this end, I got no arguments,” Brian said. “We can discuss his interests after we take Marcell off the air.”

“Yeah but we don’t even know this guy all that well!” Scafe responded indignantly. “For all we know, this could be just some elaborate trap by Marcell.”

“That stone-headed frill-flasher couldn’t make a trap for _sea sponges_ , much less anyone capable of common sense.” Eli shook his head. “Dude probably doesn’t even know what ‘elaborate’ means.”

“Tell ya what,” Dante suggested. “Gimme this one chance to prove myself to you all. If you aren’t satisfied, I’ll turn tail and walk away. I’ll be out of your hair just like that - hell, I’ll let you beat the crap outta me if ya want! Sound good?”

“Eeeh…Masochism aside, every available hand is welcome in my book.” Brian nodded. “For now, we’re gonna let you have a piece of this action.”

“Well…I guess I have no choice but to accept.” Scafe responded, snorting derisively. “But I’m keeping my eye on you, got it?”

“Sweet!” Dante clapped his hands together. “I’ll go make a distraction for whatever you guys are planning!” A flick of the switch brought a pure white beam of energy to one end of his weapon as he ran towards the front gate - the Society could’ve sworn they heard him yelling “LEEROY JENKINS!!!” under the ever-present racket of Marcell’s guitar.

“…Is that a fucking beam katana?” Eli shook his head incredulously. “Well, we better make sure he doesn’t get his dumb ass killed - let’s move!”

“Alright guys! Let’s go kick some ass!” Brian shouted as he pulled out his Almighty Pencil and led the charge into the castle.

“Zuula, Tim and I will search for the main control room,” Max said. “You all just go nuts out here and keep to our new friend.” He gestured down the hallway, where several still-hot scars were visible in the walls and floor and a few distant screams of pain echoed from further in.

“Oh sure, leave _us_ to play minder…” Juliet snarked. “Well, whatever - just mind your targets. Most of ‘em are just brainwashed civvies.”

“And the true villains have metal-themed weaponry and a certain liveliness about them, yes? I’ll be sure to take the _time_ to make that distinction before engaging in combat.” Tim gave his lightsaber a deft twirl before gliding down a different hallway.

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“WHOOOO!!!!” Marcel gave a roaring cheer. “SEE THAT, SUCKHOLITES?! NOW _THAT_ IS HOW YOU DEAL WITH A PEST PROBLEM! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Maaan! Did you see the look on their faces when we ruined their little concert?! Priceless!” Gloomstrummer laughed.

“DEATHBRAAWWWWWLLL!” 

“I know! I agree with you there, Deathbrawl!”

“Everyone…I think we are all celebrating a little prematurely.” Hellfingers responded. “I mean, yes we got the jump on them, but they are still alive and kicking thanks to Baron O’Death’s botched attack - they may try to retaliate in some way.”

“They got lucky that last time!” the indicated Cassowary interjected irritably. “If they show their dumbass faces ‘round here, I’ll give ‘em ten times their daily recommended dose of _lead!_ ”

“Good…” Deathscreamer rumbled. 

“Ugh. Do I _always_ have to be the voice of intelligence for all you mindless metal junkies?” Hellfingers groaned. “The Crimson Society - as Marcell’s boss from the Azure Initiative stated - are people NOT to be trifled with. We may get the upper hand on them at one point, but these are persistent assholes.”

“You forget, Hellfingers…we have our _new_ fans now,” Gloomstrummer mused. “The Crimson Society will be unable to lay a finger on them…lest they be swallowed up by the seas of innocent blood they will shed.”

“AND BESIDES! SO LONG AS I, THE SUPREME DEATH GOD OF METAL, STAND! THESE CRIMSON FUCKERS WILL THINK TWICE BEFORE MESSING WITH LUCIFER SUCKHOLE _AND_ THE AZURE INITIATIVE!!!” Marcell punctuated his boast with a renewed strumming on his guitar.

“Doomshredder!” Hellfingers snapped. “With _all_ due respect, you are _missing the fucking point!_ We need to take more advanced measures; amp up our forces, upgrade our defenses!”

Marcell, however, paid no mind as he continued strumming his guitar. His nonchalance had the Thorny Devil seeing red - literally, as her eyes became noticeably more bloodshot.

“MARCELL!” Hellfingers stomped the ground in building fury as she used the lizard’s real name. “Would you focus on the important shit _for once in your life,_ rather than playing with your stupid _banjo!?_ ” She realized her error a moment too late as the room went completely silent.

“Low blow, Lilith… _low fucking blow!_ ” Soulbeater’s unusually restrained tone, stock-still posture, and use of his band mate’s real name belied the sheer severity of her _faux pas_. The strumming sounds had stopped, and no one in the room seemed willing to even breathe if possible as Hellfingers frantically backpedalled.

“Uh…um…Doomshredder, I…I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to - I…I was just in the heat of the m-moment! Th…th-the Spirits of Metal ran through me and I- AAACK!!”

Marcell began strumming a low, ominous dirge on his guitar, the eyes on its body glowing eerily - at the same moment, Hellfingers felt her throat closing up as she was lifted from her chair. She gagged helplessly for several painful seconds before she was sent flying to the wall, smashing it hard enough to leave an imprint in the concrete. The rest of the group could only watch in horror as the spike-ridden lizard fell to the ground on her knees, coughing and gagging as Marcell slowly approached her, frills retracted and his voice reduced to a viciously cold whisper as he knelt beside his bandmate.

“Lilith……I heard you the first time…I didn’t need you to run your fucking mouth and insult me and my intelligence. I listened to your worries, and I can _assure_ you that I will take any and all measures needed when the time comes… **got it?** ”

“Y…Y…Yes, Marcell! I’m sorry!” At this point, Hellfingers probably would have named Marcell president of the universe if she thought it’d help quell his rage.

“Good…” The Frilled Lizard gave a small, curt nod as his scarlet eyes continued burning holes in the grovelling Hellfingers. “One more thing…and I must repeat this _once again_ …don’t you _ever_ …in your fucking life…call my guitar… **A FUCKING BANJO!!!** ” Like a plume of fire, his voice rose to a furious shout before dropping back down. “Because…this here? This is _not_ a banjo; _this_ is.”

Recognizing his cue, Gloomstrummer grabbed a banjo from a nearby closet and walked up behind Hellfingers. With a shake of his head and a mutter of “Sorry ‘bout this, kiddo,” he swung the banjo right on top of Hellfingers’ skull, smashing the instrument into pieces and knocking her out cold.

“Now then… Anyone else got any concerns they wanna vent?” Marcell asked, taking in the dead silence from his crew as he stood up. After a tense moment, his frills flared out again as he returned to his normal self. “GOOD! THEN WE CAN CONTINUE **ROCKIIING~!!** ”

With a cheerful strum of his guitar, the crazed lizard left the room, leaving behind his bandmates, the unconscious Thorny Devil, and an atmosphere of utter terror. “…You guys remember when Marcell killed King of Sin a few years back…?” Deathscreamer rumbled. “By playing a death metal version of “Through the Fire and Flames” in its entirety…?”

“Y…yea…all because he called his guitar a banjo…the g-genre _literally_ lived up to its name…” It was impossible to tell if Soulbeater’s jittering was his normal hyperactivity or pure fear.

“We should…probably keep an eye on those Crimson Fucks; see what they are doing…” Gloomstrummer added. “If they do reach the castle…we’re going to have a lot of work to do…”

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“C’mon, fucker - is that all you got!?” Dante cackled as he ducked under the attack of an Elite Suckholite, a lanky Wolf Spider with a massive scythe resembling a microphone stand. The raccoon-dog had already sustained some painful-looking wounds, but his expression was nothing short of elated as he clashed with his arachnoid foe. Suddenly, a sketchy-looking skateboard flew over the Suckholite, quickly followed by Eli; he landed on it to smash it against the spider’s head, taking them down in a single blow.

“Show’s over, ugly.” The chinchilla smirked, looking around for more incoming foes.

“Heh, nice assist…not that I needed it. That dude was _fucked_ once I got warmed up.” Dante chuckled nonchalantly, much to everyone’s shock.

“Warmed up? Dude, you’re bleeding. More than I’ve seen most people bleed.” Scafe mentally cursed the lack of a dedicated healer among the group, although Brian was already working on sketching out a plus-sized roll of bandages.

“Ehh, I’ll get better. Don’t worry about me; this is just daily scratches.” Dante shrugged slightly, flexing his wrist to put it back into place after an errant swing broke it out of the socket. Looking closer at the raccoon-dog’s wounds, the others could clearly see his flesh regenerating before their very eyes.

“Jeez…” Eli winced as he glanced back at his friends. “Well, he wasn’t kidding when he said he can handle himself…”

“Regardless, I’d still like to avoid taking chances,” Brian said sternly. “All of ya get in there and watch each other’s backs - I’ll provide long-range support with whatever I can think of.” He started sketching out a large cannon as the others ran off; he had just put the finishing touches on it when he saw movement from the corner of his eye. 

“Huh…?” After hastily adding an “auto-target” function to the cannon, Brian strode down the corridor to where he’d seen the shadow. Crawling onto the wall, and then the ceiling, he squinted around the corner to glimpse someone trotting down the hall; that familiar Equestrian figure from Quasar Point.

 _…Was that…?!_ A familiar look of determination came to Brian’s face as he gave chase, despite Zeus’s mental growl of suspicion.

 _Brian, is now_ really _the time to go chasing random people down the halls of enemy territory?_

The spider-bunny only scoffed at Zeus’s concern. _That’s no “random person”, Zeus; that’s Tavo, I’m sure of it! If I’m wrong, then I’ll give up Grape Soda for a month!_

The mental conversation was interrupted when Brian nearly crawled face-first into a wall. He was near what seemed to be the back of the castle area, and his target was directly below him, staring at the wall in apparent thought. As they turned to walk back the way they came, Brian dropped from the ceiling and landed right in their path.

“WHOA!” The figure leapt back in shock, giving Brian a chance to properly examine them. It was definitely an Equestria-style pony, and a small one at that, their features mostly hidden by their full-body outfit. However, Brian could see a few features under the hood as the pony leapt back: a light brown muzzle with a black goatee, a slightly curved horn, and a pair of cloudy grey gleams that he assumed were glasses of some sort.

“Hey Tavo! It’s me, Brian!” The hybrid’s elation faded when the pony before him simply continued to crouch on the floor, looking like he’d seen a full-grown dragon burst through the wall in front of him. “…Hey man…don’t you recognize me? C’mon…say something…”

After a moment, the figure finally responded. The dim light within the room seemed to glint off his eyes as his horn flared with magic, pulling his magnum from his cloak to point right between Brian’s eyes.

“Wait, WAIT, _WAIT!!_ ” Now it was the spider-bunny’s turn to leap back in shock.

“Hold still,” the pony warned, using his magic to cock the handgun threateningly.

“ _Oh shit,_ ” Zeus said. “ _I fucking KNEW this would happ-_ ”

**BANG!**

Brian flinched as the gunshot rang out through the castle, only to notice a distinct lack of pain or bleeding as a dull thud was heard right behind him. Chancing a glance around, he saw a wolverine lying on his back, a bullet hole in his head and a spiked club rolling out of his limp hands.

“ _He was about to strike us…_ ” Zeus muttered dazedly. “ _That mini-corn just saved our asses…_ ”

“Th…then…?” Brian slowly turned to look back at the pony, who seemed to be smiling slightly as he lowered his gun. “You _do_ know me?”

“Psssh…of _course_ I know you.” The magic aura briefly enveloped the figure as he doffed his coat, revealing several alterations from the unicorn Brian remembered. He’d traded his afro for a mullet, gained several nasty scars under his darker fur, and his cutie mark had changed into a simple but unsettling screaming face more suited for a Halloween Jack o’Lantern. He’d also added a strange necklace resembling a crudely-carved razor blade on a chain, and it was now clear that the cloudy grays were not glasses reflecting light, but his actual eyes.

“So…uhh…whaddya think of my new look?” he asked sheepishly.

With Brian trying to absorb the changes before him, Zeus took the reins of replying. “ _...Damn, you’re a lot freakier-looking than we remember you being._ ”

The pony blinked. “…Brian…did I just get zinged by the talking mouth on your hand?”

Before Zeus could reply, his hand-mouth had a sudden violent meeting with the nearest wall. “…Tavo…” Brian smiled like an idiot at the sight of his old friend. “It’s been too fucking long! …What are you even doing here?”

Tavo took a deep breath to prepare himself. “Well… After I left, a lot of bad stuff happened… Nothing but misery, woe, and - as you can tell by my eyes - death.” 

“Ah well, join the- Wait, _what!?_ ” Brian went wide-eyed at this realization, but Tavo waved it off as his horn glowed once again. This time, the magic seemed to hover in mid-air before expanding into a mirror-like portal resembling a larger version of its summoner’s necklace.

“It’s a long, pretty boring story. More importantly, I feel like I’ve got a grip on some new powers…namely, summoning beasts like that bat you saw back at Quasar Point… His name’s **Gorgoroth** , by the way.” Tavo smirked a little as Brian shook his head.

“Gorgoroth, huh… What, next you’re gonna tell me you have a beast close to your own form named…‘ **Opeth** ’ or something?”

“HOLY SHIT! I didn’t know you could read minds, Brian!” Tavo’s comment was accompanied by a flash of light from the portal beside him, releasing a fierce-looking dark blue creature. It had a similar build to Tavo himself, but taller and with distinctly reptilian features, including leathery wings, sharp claws, and six red eyes that quickly locked onto Brian. It immediately leapt in front of Tavo, baring a mouthful of fangs at the unfamiliar figure before it.

“Whoa, easy there!” Tavo laid a hoof on the beast’s side, gently rubbing until it stood down. “Opeth, this is Brian. He’s a friend, and we’re gonna help him.”

“…Well then.” Brian shook his head a bit more vigorously than before to dispel his shock before reorienting himself. “Back to the point… What are you doing here?”

“Oh right! Well, after the epic shit parade died down, I thought I’d try to fit in with a metal crowd, and Quasar Point seemed like a good place to start…then those Suckholites came in and fucking ruined everything.” Tavo visibly sneered at the thought of Marcell’s crazed “fans”. “I’m just here to try and cut their shitty program.”

“Huh. So are we.” Brian nodded affirmatively, pointing back the way he came. “If you want, you can help us sack these Suckholes and pull Marcell’s plug… What do ya say?”

Contrary to the hybrid’s expectations, Tavo seemed hesitant. “ _…We?_ ” he asked slowly. “What kinda _we_ are we talking about here?”

“ _What other_ we _but the Society you wanted to be part of?_ ” Zeus’s reply made Tavo jump slightly, eliciting another growl from Opeth. Brian quickly came back into the conversation before any hasty conclusions could be made. 

“Uhh, I think I’m gonna have a lot of explaining to do with these guys… But yeah, the rest of the Society’s here with me! Don’t worry, the bad apples have been long-since weeded out…which kinda backfired when they decided to found their own problem setup out there: the Azure Initiative. We’d be glad to have you help out in taking them down; Marcell’s with them too, so it’s a win-win, right?”

“I guess…” From his downcast eyes and idle pawing at the floor with his hoof, Tavo sounded unconvinced. “Assuming I don’t screw up your big plans for wrecking their shit…”

“Tavo…” Brian’s heart sank at the painfully familiar aura of self-loathing radiating from his friend. “Listen, you already had a plan to take them down on your own, right? Why not just throw your chips in here with us…I mean, every bit helps, even if you don’t feel like it would.” He tried to give the unicorn a comforting pat with his spider limbs, only for Opeth to snarl defensively. “I mean, no offense intended, but…it looks like you’ve done quite a lot, what with taming your new pets and all- FUCK!!” He leapt back as the dragon-pony made a short lunge, snapping its teeth mere inches from where his face had been a moment ago.

“Yeeeaaah…if you value your face, **don’t** call ‘em that word,” Tavo said belatedly. “They’re not my _pets;_ they’re _beasts_ I’ve forged bonds with.”

“ _What…kind of bonds…?_ ” Zeus asked.

“Okay, get this: I found these guys in a crypt out there, and fought them myself… It was a pretty epic battle and whatnot, but even I have my limits…so I kicked the bucket.” Tavo’s matter-of-fact tone sharply contrasted the double jaw drop from the Hostilized hybrid before him.

“You……you _died_?” Brian’s utterance was barely above a whisper.

“Yeeep…but I guess I managed to prove myself to ‘em before I went out. They brought me back, and now they’re bound to me…kinda like a family, I guess.” Tavo gave a sheepish smile as he ran a hoof between Opeth’s horns, making the beast growl in a much lighter, softer tone than before. “Like I said, I’ve seen some _weiiird_ shit since we last met.”

Before Brian could respond, Tavo had started down the hall, with Opeth close beside him. As he followed, the unicorn spoke again.

“So, uh…I guess you’ve added some new blood to the Society to replace the old, eh? Otherwise you’d still just be the Crimson Council…”

“Yeah. Quite a few new faces, actually…Em, Becky, Tim, Juliet, B.Nana and Zuula are all in on this mess, and some masochistic nutcase named Dante just joined our fight against Marcell.”

Tavo started at the last name. “Oh, sweet Soviet Korea…the loony raccoon-dog with the beam katana? I saw him on the boat here and thought he’d just cause too much ruckus for my sake… But with you all here, I think we’ll actually be pretty effective.”

“ _We_ …? You mean you’ve decided to help out?” Brian asked hopefully.

“For your sake…yeah, I will.” Tavo smiled up at his old friend. “After all…that’s what brothers do, right?”

“Yeah…” Brian returned the smile, trying not to tear up at the unexpected reunion. “Glad to have you back, bro.”

“You’ll be even happier when we shut down Marcell for good~” Tavo replied.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, on the east side of the castle, Tim was following the wires along the ceiling with his eyes as Zuula and Max scouted ahead to neutralize threats without alerting everyone - despite their large frames, the two of them moved with perfect stealth. Their efforts eventually led them to what looked like a studio room on the back of the east wing.

“Huh. If only Marcell and his ilk had the common sense to use that soundproofed room to play,” Tim glanced at his allies as he smarmed.

“Yeah… Looks like we took out a lot of the patrol; best to rush in and cut the power to the sound systems, no?” Max peered through the window to locate the power box at the back of said studio front room through its windows. “Would you like to announce our entrance, your Highness?”

“Hehehehe…with pleasure~” Zuula clicked jovially before busting the door open, catching the one guard inside with a tentacle-assisted slam into one of the control panels. Tim and Max were right behind, with the latter guarding the doorway as Tim investigated the breaker box.

“Curious…do you perhaps think they left their primary breaker here because of how often Marcell trips the power with his ‘practice’ sessions?” Tim mused to himself as he turned off most of the switches; soon, only the lights were left.

“Like it matters. Sounds like we silenced that rotten Frilled Li-” Max paused to listen; the reckless instruments still thundered through the castle halls. “…Why do I still hear his guitar?”

“Mm…that is troubling…perhaps their primary stage has a separate breaker,” Tim theorized as he walked out with his allies. “On the bright side, no one else has to listen to that noise now that the outer speakers are offline…”

“Pardon me if that isn’t exactly a great consolation…” Zuula rolled her eye amid its three holes. “Oh well…if our job is done now, we should return to the rest of the group, yes?”

“It’d be prudent for us to locate where the sound is coming from so we can lead the rest to that stage.” Max’s reasoning brought nods from his allies as they followed him down a new hall. “Be careful, but quick - if the music really was cut outside, I think that we’re about to lose the element of surprise…”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just outside the castle, two figures crouched in the shadows, holding their heads as the auditory assault of Marcell’s long-range speakers finally ceased.

“ _Finally_ ; thought they’d never shut up.” The man glanced to his female companion as he spoke. “We covered our exit, right?”

“Mhm.” The woman motioned to a tall, smouldering mountain of rubble blocking the main entryway. “Those zombies out there aren’t gonna wander into the line of fire with _that_ in the way.”

“Good, good… Now…to the task at hand. Perhaps our old friend in this castle can be… _persuaded_ …to point us in the right direction for ya.” The man bit back a hint of malice in his words, drawing a red-tinted knife seemingly out of nowhere.

“Hey, we need information, not a corpse,” the woman chided. “Let’s wait ‘till _after_ he spills his guts before you do it _literally_ , huh?” 

The man nodded silently as he and his partner slipped across the still-open drawbridge and ran for the inner courtyard; the very same place the Society was heading. Who are these mysterious interlopers, why are they here, and whose side are they on? The answers will be revealed soon enough, but one thing’s for sure: it’s not a good day to be whoever they’re after…

**-THE SOCIETY WILL RETURN-**


	4. Welcome to Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The CS have finally reached Marcell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My favorite chapter. Just saying.

# Tales of the Society - The Azure Age

## Chapter 4.4: Welcome to Hell

**_Previously on_ “Tales of the Society”...**

_Having made their preparations, the Crimson Society set sail for Zangaikotsu Island, ready to take the fight to Marcell and his maniacal metal band. A timely fireworks display allowed them to get ashore, where they met Dante, a rowdy raccoon-dog with a beam katana and a reckless streak wide enough to start a farm on. Accepting his unnervingly-eager offer of help, the Society infiltrated the massive castle serving as Lucifer Suckhole’s main base, seeking to disable the signals driving the Surface mad._

_However, Brian had other things eating at his mind; namely, his fervent belief that he had seen his long-lost friend Tavo at the interrupted Battle of the Bands. His suspicions were confirmed when he reunited with the little unicorn, although the years had certainly changed him: he was scarred, seemingly blind (although it didn’t hinder him in the slightest), and bonded to a group of strange and powerful beasts. Deciding to set his questions aside for now, Brian asked Tavo to join the Society’s battle against Marcell and Co.; an offer that Tavo accepted with gusto._

_With their ranks increased, the Society was able to cut power to Lucifer Suckhole’s long-range speakers - however, this seems to have been a minor inconvenience at best. Our heroes will have to penetrate the very heart of the castle to pull the plug on Marcell’s scheme, but they’d best be careful - not only is the loudmouthed lizard expecting them, but there’s another pair of intruders out for blood on Zangaikotsu Island…_

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Brian and Tavo’s reunion had left them far behind the rest of the group, but finding them was a simple matter; after following the trail of damaged hallways and unconscious/dead Suckholites, they found the Society near the very back of the castle. The sight of the little unicorn galloping beside Brian left most of the group scratching their heads, save Dante.

“Ey! Tavo! Glad you finally caught up!” The raccoon-dog gave Tavo a cocky thumbs-up as he popped a wayward clavicle back into place.

“You two know each other?” Eli looked between the newcomers with a quirked eyebrow. “I guess we can skip that bit of introduction, then.”

“Yeah, we met on the boat ride here,” Tavo explained. “He’s…kinda the one who got me thinkin’ about trying to _really_ ruin Marcell’s day like you guys are doing now.”

“So we’re all on the same page here; break that stupid screaming lizard’s banjo over his head and be done with him?” Eli glanced around the group, getting a small chorus of assent. “Then we just gotta find our way to their stage and wreck it.”

“Alright! …But where the heck _is_ the stage?” Emily asked.

“My guess is that it’s in the center of the castle; the courtyard.” Scafe glanced to the small windows above the hall, ringed with tiny shards of glass. “The so-called ‘music’ is coming from the other side of this wall, and if memory serves, we’ve gone in a near half-circle around it.”

“Why don’t I just blow this wall up, then?” B. Nana asked, tossing one of her Banana Bombs idly into the air. 

“No, no, NOT a good idea!” Becky quickly interjected. “We don’t know how sound the structure is; if that causes this whole hall to cave in, for instance, we’d get squashed like bugs!”

“So we just gotta find the doors to the courtyard, huh? Shouldn’t be too hard-” Brian paused when he heard a sharp whistle. He looked down the hall to see Max standing beside a large set of double doors, with Tim and Zuula at his flank. 

“Way ahead of ya, guys,” the masked assassin said. “We cut the power to the sound systems - the rest of the island’s going silent, and the cities out there aren’t getting bombarded with that auditory rape anymore.”

“We also found a map of the castle on our way back from the control room,” Zuula added with a click of satisfaction. “According to them, these doors will lead us directly to the Courtyard…or, as it’s been marked by the inhabitants, the _Nine Circles of Hell_.”

“Alriiight! Now we’re cooking!” Scafe glided over to the trio, with the rest of the Society close behind. “Lemme get the door~” He lashed a pair of chains to the hooked spikes protruding from the doors, giving a mighty heave to try and make them budge. Max and Zuula each grabbed a chain to give Scafe a hand, leaving Tim to size up the newcomer among the group.

“Am I to assume this Equestrian is our long-lost friend, Brian?” he asked, kneeling down to size up Tavo. “It appears that we may have underestimated your gut instinct…”

“ _Wow…that’s a fancy-ass way to say that you’re **wrong!**_ ” Zeus snarked. “ _But anyways, yeah - Tim, meet Tavo 2.0. He’s a bit freakier-looking than we remember, but he’s back, better than ever, and ready to kick some ear-splitting lizard ass~!_ ”

“Uhh…yeah, what he said.” Tavo shifted uncomfortably before offering a shaky hoof, not liking the intent stare he received from the pegasus-man. Sensing the unicorn’s discomfort, Tim backed off just a little, giving Tavo an encouraging smile as he took the offered hoofshake.

“It’s wonderful to see you again - I only wish we could catch up here and now, but _time_ waits for nopony.” Tim nodded to himself before straightening up. “Prepare yourself, everyone - we have a band of would-be ‘metal gods’ to _clock_ ~”

“…Glad to see that _some_ bits of us never change…” Tavo sighed in a combination of wry amusement and mild irritation as Scafe, Max, and Zuula finally forced the doors open with a thunderous crash. Immediately, the sounds of discordant metal quadrupled in volume, shaking the castle walls and nearly blowing the Society onto their backsides.

“HOLY MOTHER OF **FUCK!!!** ” Emily yelled, doing her best to right herself amid the torrent of sound and force. “HOW THE HELL CAN THEY STILL BE SO DAMN **LOUD?!** ”

“AAAAARGH!!! IT’S EVEN _WORSE_ THAN I REMEMBER IT BEING!!!” Eli howled as he clapped his hands over his ears - even with Brian’s communicators/earplugs, it still felt like he had stuck his head in the back of a jet engine. The rest of the Society was little better off, only able to cling to their spots in the face of the intense “song” as a hatefully familiar voice became audible.

“ **YYEEEEAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRHHHHHH!!!** ” Marcell somehow managed to shred out a crazed riff on his guitar while simultaneously dodging the equally-wild movements of his bandmates and screaming into a microphone hovering beside him. “WELCOME TO THE ULTIMATE STAGE OF EPIC METAL-BASED DEATH, CRIMSON SHIT-CIETY!!! WE’RE YOUR HOSTS, _LUCIFER SUCKHOLE_ , AND WE’RE GONNA BLOW! _YOUR!_ **FUCKING!! _MIIIINDSSS!!!_** TAKE IT AWAY, DEATHSCREAMER!!!!”

The largest member of the band immediately seized her own microphone and launched into a stream of what the Society assumed to be elaborate death threats and/or self-aggrandizing boasts. It was hard to tell; between the Komodo Dragon’s guttural voice, the speed of the lyrics, and the sheer volume of the others’ instruments, the words sounded more like frantic, demonic gibbering than anything comprehensible.

“God…damn it… Shut…UP!!!” With a wrathful scream, Dante blindly threw his Beam Katana into the courtyard. The laser sword was quickly blown back by a particularly loud screech from Deathscreamer, but it slashed through a few wires on the way back, cutting the noise by a decent amount.

“DEATHBRAAAAAWL!!!” yelled the hulking hippopotamus standing behind the stage, stomping his meaty feet in irritation.

“Grrr…those Crimson Fucks think they can kill the noise, huh? Well, they’ve got another thing coming!” Baron O’Death hefted his Gun-tar with one feathered hand while signalling a group of Suckholites with the other, prompting them to scurry out with toolboxes and a coil of replacement wire. This did not go unnoticed by the Society, who had regained enough of their wits to regroup around the sides of the door.

“Nice throw, Dante!” B.Nana cheered. “I thought I was gonna turn into mashed banana back there!”

“Don’t celebrate just yet,” Max warned. “We still can’t get close to those demented noisemakers…and it looks like they’re digging in!” He darted back behind the door frame as a few bullets flew past. “If we can’t shut down those speakers, we’ll never stop Marcell!”

“Well, we have our battle plan, guys!” Eli yelled over a renewed blast of sound - the Suckholites had already repaired the damaged wires. “We’ll take the stage - the rest of you hold off these shitty-music loving freaks while keeping their noise down!” He glanced to his fellow Councilmen, receiving a series of determined nods.

“Do whatever you can, but focus on those amps!” Scafe added. “They might be prepared for a siege, but I doubt they can fix up those speakers on the spot!” 

“Leave it to us, Scafey!” Becky waved as best as she could while readjusting her earplugs and readying a large ball of icy spikes.

“You have your orders, Society! _Let’s go!!_ ” Brian’s rally order signalled the group to break off; Dante rushed to grab his Beam Katana while Tim took to the skies to attack the amps hanging from above. Tavo and Opeth were right behind Eli as the first ones past the threshold, appearing as a brown and dark blue blur that immediately pounced on the nearest group of Suckholites.

“AWW HELL NAW!” Marcell screeched from his perch on the stage. “GIVE ‘EM SOMETHIN’ ELSE TO WORRY ABOUT, DEATHBRAWL!!!”

With a particularly fierce roar of “ **DEATHBRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWL!!!!** ”, the Suckholite hippo obliged, pulling out a device resembling an oversized megaphone covered in spikes and barbed wire. He promptly bellowed into the device, releasing massive blasts of sonic force that looked oddly like giant transparent letters.

“What the- FUUUUCK!” Juliet had to nearly dig her heels through the stone floor of the surrounding benches to avoid one blast that crashed right in front of her. “Watch yourselves, guys - they’ve got a portable Sonic Mortar, and it’s packing a punch!” She flicked an explosive knife at the seats beyond, scattering a Suckholite repair team before they could counter Emily’s attack on an amplifier.

“Noted - but we may have _bigger_ problems!” Tim spiralled around in the air, using his lightsaber to deflect Baron O’Death’s next barrage. “That avian with the gun-guitar is laying suppressive fire; I can’t get near any of the high speakers like this!”

“I’ll be damned…it’s actually _working_ ,” Hellfingers mused.

“Hehehehe…toldja the boss-man was ready for ‘em!” Soulbeater punctuated his glee with a brief, furious solo on his snare drum, shaking the courtyard enough to prevent Zuula from climbing up a wall while also knocking Brian flat on his backside.

“Aaah! Dammit! How the hell did that-” The hybrid paused when he noticed small plants growing on the few dirt patches amid the chunky stone courtyard; flowers resembling tiny palm trees. _Huh? …These are…!_

Leaping to his feet while sketching a rifle of his own to harass the Suckholite repair teams, Brian scanned the courtyard. Most of his friends were still deadlocked with Marcell’s brainwashed flunkies, but B.Nana was hanging back at the edge of the arena, seemingly oblivious to the fighting. The banana-woman’s humming was barely audible over the musical carnage, but Brian could distinctly see her stooping to tap the top of a plant, causing it to produce a small coconut with odd white stripes on the side.

“If we can’t fight ‘em directly…let’s try being _louder!!_ ” The sentient fruit punctuated her words by tossing the coconut into the air; at the apex of its flight, it exploded with an extremely loud bang comparable to a nuclear warhead. The sound created a loud feedback in the speakers, while the shockwave staggered pretty much everyone in the courtyard.

“Gaaah! The fuck was _that?!_ ” Dante yelled.

“One of my **Concuss-onuts!** ” B.Nana replied cheerfully amid the screeching feedback. “It’s great for getting people’s attention, breaking outta glass houses, stunning rabid monsters, and causing _insane_ feedback on a big freaking sound system!”

“SON OF A **BITCH!!!** ” Eli howled, nearly tearing his ears off as the sound pierced his brain. “GIMME SOME _WARNING_ BEFORE YOU CHUCK THAT THING!!!”

“Alriiight!” Emily cheered, despite still being a bit dazed from the unexpected noise. “Score one for the banana-girl~!”

“Keep up the good work, B.Nana!” Athena called. “The rest of you, seize this chance to make progress on our objectives!”

“On it!” Tavo’s portal appeared beside him, dismissing Opeth before moving directly below him. Suddenly, a much larger beast emerged from the gate; a hulking humanoid behemoth with bone-studded clubs for fists and narrow teal eyes on either side of its fang-filled mouth.

“Aww yeah, _this_ is more like it!” Tavo hopped off the new beast’s head and perched on its shoulder. “Let’s cover the walking banana-woman, **Emperor!** ”

With Lucifer Suckhole abandoning their session to clear the ringing out of their speakers, the Society sprang into action. Dante, Tavo, and Emperor moved to defend B.Nana as she prepared more Concuss-onuts, Becky and Juliet went for the minions providing fire support, Tim went for the high speakers, with Zuula climbing the walls again to follow suit, and the rest of the group alternated between destroying the ground-bound speakers and running interference with the Suckholite repair crews.

“Not so tough anymore, are ya, birdboy!?” Becky taunted as she ran a large ice shield towards the gunning cassowary, drawing his fire to give Tim a reprieve from the hail of lead.

“Fuck you, Elsa-lite!” Baron O’Death squawked. “My gun ain’t the only thing that’s got a lotta _kick!_ ” Without warning, he stopped firing and lunged at Becky’s shield with his metal-armored foot. Although the razor-sharp claws were blocked by the ice, the sheer force of the kick sent the red-haired cryomancer sprawling.

“Got any sass _now,_ bitch~?” The evil cassowary’s beak curled into a grin as he levelled the barrel of his gun-tar right between Becky’s eyes.

“Just two words… NOW, JULIET!!” Becky’s shield suddenly collapsed on Baron O’Death’s talon, holding him still as the White Noise agent leapt over them to throw a handful of exploding knives right into the Suckholite’s back. Becky instinctively ducked to avoid his Dead Man’s Trigger Finger, only losing a few hairs to the last errant rounds fired before the knives detonated.

“OH GODDAMMIT, THEY KILLED THE BARON!” Marcell was clearly aggravated by the way the fight was going.

“This bodes ill…” Gloomstrummer mused, watching several speakers falling from the ceiling with charred slashes in their frames. “Our strategy is being dismantled…”

“Then let’s just stop _beatin’ around the drum_ here and get in there ourselves!” Soulbeater snickered, pulling out his own bomb bag as his eye twitched with eager mania.

“I LIKE THE WAY YOU THINK!!!” Marcell’s gleefully savage demeanour returned in an instant as he stepped forward and signalled his other two bandmates. “ALRIGHT, CRIMSON SUCKERS - PLAYTIME’S OVER!!!! YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST BUST IN HERE AND CRASH OUR JAM SESSION?! WELL, YOU GOT ANOTHER THING COMIN’ - _FIVE_ THINGS, IF YA GET MY MEANIIIIING!!!!!!” He gave a particularly harsh strum on his guitar, its eye glowing red as the courtyard began to shake. Suddenly, the bleachers slid into the ground and the stage retracted into the wall, leaving a flat, circular space only dotted by the remains of the destroyed amplifiers.

“About fucking _time!_ ” Dante cried, extricating himself from beneath a fallen speaker. “Now I can actually _kill_ some fuckers!”

“Hold onto your butts, everyone - and _not_ literally!” Eli shot a brief glance at Emily and B.Nana before refocusing on the main threat. The members of Lucifer Suckhole had leapt from the stage, producing various weapons: Gloomstrummer brandished a pair of spiked trench knives, Hellfingers pulled out a submachine gun, Soulbeater lit a pair of cluster bombs shaped oddly like tiny bottles of Tabasco sauce, Deathscreamer donned a pair of wicked-looking brass knuckles, and Marcell held his guitar at the ready, frill spread wide and eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

“LET THE BLOODBATH BEGIN - ONE TWO THREE **FOUR!!!** ” Marcell gave his guitar a loud strum as Soulbeater threw his bombs into the air. The guitar’s telekinetic grip seized the explosives and scattered them all over the courtyard with a force comparable to a professional baseball pitcher’s fastball. Most of the Society was forced back to the walls, but Tim took a bad hit to the head before he could get clear. The flames also had a potent effect on B.Nana’s remaining plants, setting off Concuss-onuts all over the arena against them.

“Son of a BITCH!” Juliet held her head after the loud bangs. “They just turned the tides on us in one fucking move!”

“Tim’s down!” Emily cried out, running under the pegasus-man to cover his landing.

“Aaaah! Fire! Nobody said they had _fire_!” B.Nana wailed, staying as far as possible from the now-burning ground.

“Alright, that’s just playing _dirty!_ ” Eli cracked his neck and extended his staff. “Let’s see if I can’t pay ‘em back in kind!”

“You and me both!” Scafe added, grabbing Brian to fly him over the blazing debris as Eli vaulted over them with his staff. Max slammed the ground with his sword to raise pillars of stone over the flames and approach with rock hops - meanwhile, Dante literally ran through the flames to get in on the action.

“HERE THEY COME!!!” Marcell whooped, using another guitar riff to send flaming debris at the rest of the Society. “JUST LIKE WE PRACTICED, BOYS AND GIRLS - **LET ‘EM HAVE IT!!!** ”

“Yeeessss…” Deathscreamer hissed as she took off with surprising speed for her bulky frame. As Hellfingers opened fire on Scafe and Brian (who sketched out a shield to protect them from the gunfire), and Gloomstrummer brandished his knives against Eli, the Komodo Dragon punched Max’s latest rock pillar before he could leap onto it, forcing the bear to stop on the other side of a wall of fire.

“Shit!” Max rolled to his feet on landing, getting up just in time to see Deathscreamer rampaging through the flames with a fist cocked back. “ _Shiiit!!_ ” He leapt out of the way, but just barely; by the time he recovered from _that_ , he barely had time to block the next massive blow. “ **SHIIIIIIT!!!** ”

“Be silent…” Deathscreamer snarled, unpleasant-looking goo dripping between her bared fangs as she pressed her attack. “...and _die._ ” She threw an uppercut to break Max’s guard, allowing her to tackle the assassin to the ground. Before she could go for the kill, however, a wild battle cry heralded a mighty dropkick to the side of her face.

“Hahaha! How’s the daily dose of _boot to the head_ taste?” Dante laughed madly as he fell to the ground, but his mood flagged when a burly claw closed around his neck, lifting him up to see his barely-fazed target’s glare. “…For the record, I was expecting that to do a lot mooooOOOWWWW!!” He gave a pained cry as Deathscreamer embedded her fangs in his face.

“Oi! Let ‘im go!” Max aimed a heavy two-handed cleave at the hulking lizard’s neck, but the Komodo threw her head back to avoid it. This was exactly what Dante wanted, however; he flipped his body over his captor’s, forcing her to release him to avoid suffering extreme neck trauma. Once freed, Dante attempted to slash Deathscreamer’s back with his beam katana, but she rolled away.

“She’s quick for a big girl, isn’t she?” Dante mused to Max as they got back into stance, seemingly unfazed by the oozing tooth marks on his face.

“Yeah…” Max chanced a glance away from the battlefield to scrutinize Dante’s wounds. “Blimey…you, uh, _might_ wanna get that looked at,” he added.

“Ehh, it’s just a scratch. I’ll get better.” Dante remarked, nonplussed as he observed the Komodo standing back up, likely very annoyed by their persistence. “We’ll have more than a bite on our hands if we don’t put this bitch down, though!”

Max nodded grimly, but his mask lenses widened as an idea suddenly took form. “Dante…how much punishment _can_ you take?” he asked slowly.

“…I dunno where you’re goin’ with this…but I _like_ how it sounds.” Dante smirked devilishly; any time he’d heard those words before, it was attached to a “So crazy it has to work” idea he’d thought of himself. “I’m gonna be having another meeting with those teeth again, ain’t I?”

“Afraid so.” Taking a glance around to make sure the other Suckholites were still occupied with the other Society members, Max adjusted his grip on his sword before looking back at Dante. “Keep her busy for a minute or two - I’ll signal you when to scram, but…no promises on you getting out unscathe-” He blinked as he registered a distinct lack of raccoon-dog before him - Dante had already charged headlong at Deathscreamer, laughing like he’d just won the lottery.

“Round two, motherfucker!!” Dante screamed aloud as he ducked under Deathscreamer’s first punch, leaving Max to raise his sword over his head. Meanwhile, Eli was deftly dodging over debris and flying explosives alike as Gloomstrummer repeatedly tried to carve him up with his knives. The chameleon’s large eyes flicked around in an almost epileptical fashion to track the chinchilla’s movements, but his every slash was either dodged or blocked, and frequently answered with a staff strike just hard enough to sting.

“Should’ve taken a comprehensive fitness course, dude!” Eli taunted. “Looks like those fingers and eyes of yours are the only fast parts on you!”

“You’d think so…wouldn’t you?” A rare smirk crossed the chameleon’s face as he suddenly opened his mouth, his tongue lashing out just shy of the speed of thought. The spiked tip stuck to Eli’s chest, yanking him close enough for a dual stabbing, quickly followed by a wicked slashing uppercut from both knives and his pierced tongue.

“Gah!!” Eli was sent reeling by the tongue smack, holding his ripped-up jacket with one hand and one of his stabbed shoulders with the other. “Well, damn - no wonder you guys never get any action if your tongues are _all_ like that.” He threw the jacket aside and picked up his dropped staff with some difficulty, earning a dull snort from Gloomstrummer.

“That’s rich coming from the dreadlock warrior here,” he snarked back, blind to the sudden shift in Eli’s demeanor: a stiffening of the shoulders as his pupils contracted.

“…What…the _fuck_ …did you say?” he asked, his previous levity all but evaporating.

“Those ravelocks of yours. I’m doin’ you a favor by giving you a _real_ close haircut…now come meet your demise!” Readying his knives for the finishing blow, Gloomstrummer lashed his tongue at Eli’s neck, only for the chinchilla to block it with his free arm. The spiked piercings dug into the skin, but Eli didn’t even seem to notice as his dyed dreadlocks went from green to red.

“That’s what I _thought_ you said.” The shades fell from Eli’s face, revealing a look that could only be described as utterly murderous.

“…Ohhh.” Gloomstrummer’s tongue went limp as he finally connected the dots, but Eli simply adjusted his arm to seize it by the tip. “I…just hit a Banjo Button…didn’t I…?”

“Yeeep.” Eli suddenly tugged the terrified chameleon close as his voice rose to a roar. “ **BECAUSE _NOBODY_ TALKS SHIT ABOUT THE _HAIR!!!_** ” He swung Gloomstrummer around by the tongue in an apoplectic frenzy, drawing the attention of ally and enemy alike.

“Oooh…there it goes…” Despite this clear advantage to his side of the fight, Brian couldn’t help but cringe as the flailing chameleon was smashed into the ground hard enough to leave a small crater. “I kinda wondered when somebody was gonna make Eli snap.”

“ _I guess we could say…it had to get_ hairy _eventually~”_ Zeus snickered just before Brian smacked his other hand.

“If there’s anything Eli hates more than jokes about his hair, it’s _puns_ about hair. Focus!” Even as he admonished his Parasite, Brian paused to brace himself against the large shield before him. After the aerial angle proved useless, he had Scafe drop him on the ground to approach Hellfingers; the draconic Councilman was alternating between deflecting Marcell and Soulbeater’s continued artillery strikes and sending the occasional burst of flame breath in the Thorny Devil’s general direction.

“Goddammit, why won’t you _die?!_ ” Hellfingers snarled, trying to strafe around the spider-bunny’s shield as he got a bit too close for her comfort. “We’re just trying to hold a fucking concert here!”

“Concert?! More like a…uhh…” Brian trailed off as he racked his brain for a suitably devastating insult. “I’ll, uh, think of a nice burn later, but lemme tell ya - I’d sooner listen to _amateur cowbell_ than this brainwashing crap!”

Brian’s impromptu quip left Hellfingers seeing red - literally. “THAT’S IT!!! KILLING YOU NOW!” She suddenly raised her head and squinted as hard as she could, spraying twin arcs of blood over the top of Brian’s shield.

“ _Incoming!_ ” Zeus warned.

“What the- UGH!” Instinctively looking up to register the threat, Brian ended up taking the blood right on the face. “Yaaagh! Oh _fuck!_ IT’S IN MY EYES! AAAAAHH!!” He buckled behind the shield as he tried to clean his face, allowing Hellfingers to finally flank him with her gun primed.

“Trust me, you’ll _need_ that blood - I’m about to blow the _rest_ of it outta your brains!” The Thorny Devil opened fire, only for Brian to swing his shield around once again. “The hell!?”

“ _…Quick question, did you_ really _think that’d work?_ ” Zeus’s words were accompanied by the narrowing of new purple eyes on Brian’s spider limbs before the hybrid thrust his shield forward in a great charge. Taken off-guard, Hellfingers could only yelp before she was carried into a wall, her gun clattering to the floor in Brian’s wake.

“Word of advice, lady; _don’t_ try blinding a guy who can mutate his body at will~” Despite his impaired vision, Brian grinned trollishly. “Thanks to Zeus, I’ve got more eyes than I have balls…okay, I have that _anyway_ , but you get my point~”

“ _Jeez, your battle-quipping is_ off _today,_ ” Zeus commented. “ _As punishment, I call dibs on this kill~!_ ”

Before Brian could even muster an objection, his body began to mutate as Zeus took control. This didn’t go unnoticed by Soulbeater, who was still somehow pulling more bombs, molotovs, and even bottles of super-spicy sauce out of nowhere to hurl at the Society.

“Holy- are you _seeing_ this, Doomshredder!?” he cried. “That Society bastard’s turning into something straight outta a metal cover!” 

“NOT NOW, SOULBEATER!!!” Marcell bellowed back, raising a shield of debris to discourage Emily’s charge. “I’M GETTIN REAL TIRED OF PLAYIN’ THIS GAME! - TIME FOR SOMETHIN’ **GROUNDBREAKING!!!** ”

With a mighty strum, the evil lizard raised up large chunks of the ground, lifting the Society off their feet. The force interrupted Max’s charging attack, pulled Dante off of Deathscreamer’s back, and pulled Eli kicking and screaming off of Gloomstrummer (and knocked him out of his berserk state) before they joined the others into a single large cluster of limbs and surprise floating over the ground.

“Fuck!” Dante cursed. “I was just getting warmed up! Any ideas, boys and girls?”

“Let’s see…” Eli began counting off on his fingers. “Becky and B.Nana can’t get close, Tim’s down; where the hell are Zuula and Juliet!?”

“DEATHBRAAAAWL!!!” The thundering shout from behind the Society answered Eli’s question well enough as the hulking hippo tossed the pair out into the courtyard, barely clinging to consciousness. He’d had the bright idea to back off when Lucifer Suckhole joined the fight personally, which also served to draw the Carcanod and cyborg away from their friends.

“Shit… He’s tougher…than he looks.” Juliet’s attempt to stand was stymied by a quick “DEATHBRAWL!!” from the hippo’s Sonic Mortar, blowing her and Zuula into the levitating mass of their trapped friends.

“An…ambush strategy…I’m amazed we didn’t see it coming…” Even in this dire situation, Zuula’s grin was as wide as ever.

“HAHAHA! NICE ASSIST, MAN!!!” Marcell cackled wildly as his battered bandmates limped over to him. “JUST FOR THAT, I’MMA GIVE YOU THE CHANCE TO **FINISH THE JOB!!!** MAKE THEIR SCREAMS WORTHY OF OUR NEXT ALBUM - _CRIMSON CRUSH SLAUGHTER PARTY IN HELL!!!_ ”

“God dammit…I can’t believe it, Marcell’s got us!” Scafe grunted in anger as the mortar was leveled to the ball of immobilized heroes. The Society gave a collective wince as Deathbrawl took a deep breath, clearly preparing the shout to end all shouts.

“ _DEAAAAAATHBR-_ URGH!” The hippo’s roar turned into a gurgle as a massive blade ran through his chest. Brian’s eyes widened at the familiar ring guard jutting out of the giant hippo’s back, even as the latter let out a final whimper of “D…d-deathbrawl…?”

“WHAT DO WE SAY TO DEATH!?” The call from the door heralded a black-and-green blur rushing to the center of the courtyard. Grasping the handle and ring guard, it gave a mighty yank, splitting Deathbrawl in half from the waist up as the blade came crashing to the stone.

“SWEET MOTHER OF AMARANTHE!!!” Tavo shouted. “The hell was _that!?_ ”

“Close, but not quite.” A woman’s voice chimed in as the Society looked down at the assailant: a burly man with pallid green skin, dull brown hair, simple black clothing, and bright red veins on his arms. Some of the Society members were confused, but the eyes of the Councilmen nearly popped out of their heads; Tim also looked both surprised and intrigued as he finally shook off the worst of his previous injury.

“What…the _fuck_ …?” Eli gasped.

“Is…is that…?” Scafe trailed off as he tried to process the sight below.

“Our old friend…the fifth Councilman…” Max nodded to Brian, who had reverted to his normal form in his surprise.

“ **Tsuneo!!** ” Brian’s call made the newcomer spring to his feet as he was joined by the other speaker: a dark-skinned woman wearing red and black clothes that matched the colors of large butterfly wings on her back.

“What do we say to death?” she repeated while levelling a fiery-looking rocket launcher at the stunned Lucifer Suckhole. Meanwhile, her companion slung the blade over his shoulder, revealing a white mask on his face as he looked up at the Society.

“…Not today,” he answered.

**-THE SOCIETY WILL RETURN-**


	5. Metal Overload

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the midst of the battle, two newcomers join the battle: The Fifth Councilmen Tsuneo, and the insane pyromancer Irene. Will this be enough to turn the tide of battle?

# Tales of the Society - The Azure Age

## Chapter 4.5: Metal Overload

**_Previously on_ “Tales of the Society”...**

_The Crimson Society was ready and eager to finally unplug Marcell and his band, but Lucifer Suckhole proved to be well-prepared for the assault. Using an extensive network of speakers and surprisingly potent music-themed weaponry, they had the Society on the defensive until some quick thinking and quicker plant-growing from B.Nana gave the heroes their chance to wreck the sonic network. With their defenses broken, Marcell ordered the band itself into action, and they proved to be surprisingly lethal fighters; nonetheless, the Society’s skills and teamwork allowed them to gain the upper hand._

_Unfortunately, this only prompted Marcell to unleash the full force of his telekinetic tunes, immobilizing the Society and leaving them utterly helpless. It looked like the end of the line, but help soon arrived in the form of the other two “visitors” to the island - one of whom was revealed to be Tsuneo, the missing Councilman! It’s clear that neither he nor his female companion have any love for Marcell’s group…but will they help the Society, or does the self-exiled founder still carry old grudges?_

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“T-T-This can’t be real!” Brian said in shock. “This has to be a crazy hallucination!”

“What, you not happy to see me?” Tsuneo’s response carried just a hint of snark as he looked up at the shocked hybrid.

“W-what?! Of _course_ I’m happy to see you!!” Brian responded. “It’s just…DUDE! It’s you! Y-You’ve been gone for like…like…for a while! And yet here you are today!” 

“Wow…now I feel like a third wheel in a textbook bromance,” the woman beside Tsuneo commented, although the slight upcurve of her lips indicated that she wasn’t actually offended.

“Oh, and then there’s you as well!” Brian pointed to the woman. “This is so fucking cra- wait…how did you know where to come find us??”

“Whoa, hold on!” Dante interjected. “You _know_ that chick, Brian?”

“Well, yeah! That’s **Irene Williams;** she’s actually another friend of mine.” Brian’s casual comment brought several bewildered looks from the newer members. “We go _way_ ba-” 

“Hold that thought, Bunny-Butt.” Irene wagged a finger at Brian before firing her rocket at Marcell’s feet, sending a large wave of debris at the band. Marcell was forced to refocus his telekinesis on the incoming rubble, dropping the Society in a mostly-dignified heap on the ground.

“Gh… Thanks Irene…” Brian groaned from his place at the bottom of the pile. “So…”

“Okay, back on-topic…YOU’RE FRIENDS WITH THE RESIDENT PYROMANIAC!?” Tavo yelled, looking between Brian and Irene in utter shock. “H-h- _how!?_ ”

“Looooong story, Tav - for now, we got a band to unplug. Let’s……uh-oh.” Brian’s enthusiasm flagged when he noticed his fellow Councilmen still staring at Tsuneo, their own expressions as unreadable as the masked zombie’s. 

“ _Ooooh no…don’t tell me we’re starting_ this _again…_ ” If he had control of Brian’s body, Zeus would’ve facepalmed. “ _Can’t it wait until_ after _we wreck Marcell and get outta here?_ ”

“If you have _any_ shred of survival instincts, we’ll save my burning at the stake for after this mess.” Tsuneo called out to the inert Councilmen, just as exasperated at Zeus at this point. “I didn’t come all this way to watch my friends die to this Nu Metal bullshit.”

“NU METAL!?” Hellfingers’s indignant shriek did nothing to distract the standoff.

“But you still didn’t answer my question, dude!” Brian spoke a little too quickly, eager to draw everyone’s attention away from the lingering bad blood. “How did you know we were here?”

“I _DIDN’T,_ OKAY!?” Tsuneo shouted back, causing a curious stir amid the Society.

“ _…Oookay? Who pissed in your soup?_ ” Zeus responded after that sudden outburst.

“Maybe I’m just a hair more focused on the _actual problem_ here.” Tsuneo’s snark held a hint of an angry bite as he walked past the Society to Marcell. “Now, you. I have one thing that needs answering. You’re working with those other Society rejects, right?”

“HELL FUCKIN’ **YEEEAAAAAAAAHHH!!!** ” Marcell punctuated his affirmation with a particularly violent riff, causing the held debris to fall with a crash. “AND THEY’LL BE PISSED AS ALL HELL WHEN I-”

“So you know who bombed the old base.” Tsuneo interrupted without breaking stride. “The stripperiffic goat-bitch otherwise known as Amethyst Hart? That’s who got you your bomb?” 

Marcell quickly got over his irritation at the interruption, donning a malicious smile. “AWW, LOOKIE HERE!! THE FALLEN COUNCILMAN’S SALTY THAT WE WRECKED HIS OLD PAD AND DIDN’T EVEN KILL HIS FORMER FRIENDS IN THE PROCESS!!!” He gave a wicked laugh as Brian visibly cringed - in contrast, the other three Councilmen barely even flinched, while Tsuneo merely nodded slowly.

“Alright, facts checked…Irene? Can I split him in half _now?_ ”

“Fine, since we can’t get any more info out of this loud fucker.” 

“Try it, butter-bitch!” Soulbeater cackled, a fresh set of explosives already in hand. “I’ve been lookin’ for someone to match in a battle of the _bombs~!_ ”

“…Yeah, I’ll let you have him.” Tsuneo gestured to Irene before glancing back to the Society members. “We’ve got numbers on ‘em, and more than enough strength between us; rush these fuckers down!”

The Society looked back in mixed silence, but Dante gave a hyped “YEAH!!!” before rushing back into the fight a third time. He promptly got whipped in the face by Gloomstrummer’s spiked tongue, prompting Brian to wake himself up.

“He’s right, guys - let’s show ‘em who’s boss!” Brian’s rallying cry snapped his friends out of their own stupors - they drew their weapons, summoned their powers, and prepared to charge the now rather worried-looking band.

“Uuuuuhhh…Marcell??” Hellfingers said with growing concern. “I think we may need to change our tactics. If these two are serious in joining the fight, then we may be up Shit Creek without a paddle.”

“QUIT YER BITCHIN’, HELLFINGERS!!!” Marcell howled. “THIS JUST MEANS WE GOTTA CRANK IT UP TO **ELEVEN THOUSAAAAND!!!** ”

“Oh god…they can get even _louder?!_ ” Tavo cried. “That’s it, I’m calling the earplugs!” His portal appeared over Emperor, dismissing the hulking beast before positioning itself behind him. “Come on out, **Alcest!** ”

At Tavo’s command, the portal disgorged a new, taller beast. It vaguely resembled a purple humanoid in a long dress, but it had flexible tentacles for arms, it visibly hovered over the ground, and its face was devoid of features save for its large green eyes.

“Waaait a minute…Opeth, Emperor, and now Alcest…?” Gloomstrummer looked between Tavo and Marcell, the latter of whom looked downright pleased.

“YOU NAMED YOUR BEASTS AFTER METAL BANDS!? THAT’S _FUCKING AWESOOOOME!!!_ ” Marcell gave another quick strum to show his approval of Tavo’s naming sense. “DON’T THINK THAT’S GONNA SAVE YOUR ASS FROM A BEATING, THOUGH!!!” 

“…Yyyep. If you need me, I’m gonna be focusing on my _own_ music.” Irene muttered, pulling out a pair of earbuds and a music player as Tsuneo finally broke formation to run straight for Deathscreamer - noting as much, the Society was quick to follow. Brian and Scafe went for Marcell, Eli started another round against Gloomstrummer with Emily close behind, Dante jumped to his feet to chase down Hellfingers with Tavo close behind him, and Irene charged for Soulbeater with Max. Becky and B.Nana hung back to both provide ranged support and keep an eye on the incapacitated Juliet, Zuula, and Tim.

“This…is hardly necessary,” the well-dressed pegasus managed. “It’s…merely a…light knock on the head…”

“Oh no it ain’t!” B.Nana countered, running over to stop Tim from getting up. “For one, your jacket’s scorched to heck and back - that’s a _lotta_ burn. And I can tell from here that it’ll take _time_ to heal from that bop to the head~! ”

“L-leave the time puns to me, Brittany…” Tim shook his head with a sigh as he both groaned at B.Nana’s pun and resigned himself to her logic.

“Apart from that, I think our pals have this under control!” Becky grinned as she watched Scafe lash his chains at the latest wave of shrapnel Marcell sent at him and Brian.

“Yo Marcell, you were talkin’ all that good shit a second ago!” Scafe taunted as he inched towards Marcell, striking down the chunks of debris he launched at him. “Where’s all that metal-powered pain you were gonna give us now~?”

“YOU ASKED FOR IT, SCAFE-O!!!” Sidestepping a bit of reflected shrapnel, Marcell flicked a dial on his guitar before starting up another solo. This time, the telekinetic grip seized Scafe himself, spinning him around until he and his chains resembled a giant top. “LET’S SEE HOW FAST THOSE CHAINS CAN SMASH YOUR PALS!!!”

“Not this time, you loudmouth fuck!” Brian capitalized on his new opening by drawing up another massive shield. “You won’t be using Scafe for your little top game!”

“HAH! GOOD LUCK TRYING TO STOP _THIS_ KILLER SHRED!!” With that notion, Marcell began strumming his guitar wildly, causing his impromptu top to start spinning and launch its way towards Brian and the gang. Brian quickly readied the shield as Scafe’s hijacked chains slammed into its surface, pushing the dragon back - unfortunately, Marcell simply forced him to dive right in again.

“Aaaaaaauuugh! Getting……dizzy…” Scafe’s voice was barely audible over the shriek of his chains striking Brian’s shield and the other battles raging around the courtyard. 

“GRRRRRRR!” Brian growled, trying with all his might - realizing that Marcell had him stuck, he called out to his friends. “G-GUYS! A HAND OR TWO WOULD BE NICE!!”

With a cry of “SORRY, SCAFEY!!” Becky flicked a disc of ice magic in front of Brian. As it came to a stop under Scafe, it detonated in a chilling burst, freezing Scafe’s legs to stop his spinning long enough to lash his chain directly at Marcell. This in turn forced the frilled lizard to abandon his playing in order to dodge, allowing a very nauseous-looking Scafe to arrest his momentum directly.

“Gh…ghhh… Thanks, Be…HURK…” The well-spun dragon doubled over to puke, nearly catching Brian in the splash zone. While the disgusted hybrid scrambled back, Marcell had moved to the center of the courtyard for his next attack.

“WHOOOOOOOOOOOO! YOU HEAR THAT, GUYS?! SOUNDS TO ME LIKE WE’RE ABOUT TO GET INTO THE **KILLER GUITAR SOLO!!** ” Marcell flailed his long tongue in anticipation as he fiddled with the settings on his guitar.

“W-Wait! Marcell, no!” Hellfingers shouted amid her own battle with Tavo and Dante. “Don’t do what I think you’re gonna do- OWW!!” She yelped as Alcest and Tavo combined their magic to hold her in place, allowing Dante to tackle her despite puncturing himself in several places on her spines.

“OOOOOH, I’MMA _DO_ WHAT YOU THINK I’MMA DO!!!” Marcell’s expression was even more crazed than normal as he twisted a dial on his guitar to the “Fire” setting. “YOU GUYS READY TO CARRY _THROUGH THE FIRE AND FLAMES?!_ ”

“You’re only proving my point about Nu Metal, you frilled fuck!” Tsuneo called over in snark, holding off Deathscreamer’s attacks with sharp claws made of red energy.

“WELL, **FUCK YOU TOO!!!!!** ” Marcell’s screech was barely audible as he laid into his guitar solo at high speed. This created a massive vortex above the flaming courtyard, quickly spiraling faster and stronger as it began sucking up the surrounding debris. When the tornado touched down, everyone found themselves in the eye of Marcell’s metal storm, surrounded by walls of burning wind and stone that soon began to contract.

“ _Suddenly, I’m not liking our position!_ ” Zeus called. “ _Watch those walls, everyone; I don’t think we’ll survive contact!_ ”

“Fuck that!” Dante bellowed. “ **I’m immortal!** ” With a mighty roar, he recklessly tackled Hellfingers right into the tornado, the both of them vanishing from sight. A moment later, Dante flew back out - quite heavily battered and charred - but there was no sign of Hellfingers.

“…Brian, I have _no_ idea where you found this maniac, but he’s a _genius!_ ” Tsuneo smiled to himself as he dashed under Deathscreamer’s latest blow to slash her across the chest. The blow was superficial, but it stunned the beastly Komodo Dragon long enough for Tsuneo to switch back to his massive blade and swat her into the flaming walls. Seeing their opportunities, Eli and Max both spiked their opponents skyward, leaving them open to their friends’ attacks; Irene fired a rocket right into Soulbeater’s stomach to propel him into the vortex, while Emily’s flying kick sent Gloomstrummer to his windy fate as well.

“WHAT THE FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF…” As Marcell’s anger grew, his guitar started to peter out, bringing the wind to an abrupt halt as blood and ashes rained over the now-open courtyard. “…FFFFFFFFF **FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!** ” 

“Raining blood… Now _that’s_ metal,” Tsuneo smarmed at the distraught Frilled Lizard.

“YOU TRICKY LITTLE MOTHERFUCKERS!!! YOU KILLED OFF MY BANDMATES!!!”

“Actually, _you_ did that.” Eli chuckled a bit at Marcell’s error. “Hangin’ yourself by your own banjo strings there, eh?”

Marcell immediately went stock-still. “…The _fuck_ did you just say to me?” he growled, voice dropping to an unnaturally low volume.

“Ohhhh…crap.” Scafe facepalmed at his fellow Councilman’s blunder. An instant later, realization caught up to Eli as well, prompting him to clap his hands over his mouth.

“I…think _I_ just pushed a Banjo Button,” he whispered.

“…Excuse me?” Irene asked.

“The one thing you _never_ do in Marcell’s earshot, Irene, is call his guitar ‘a banjo,’” Max explained. “The first time we did that, he _snapped Brian’s neck_ …if it weren’t for Zeus, he’d be dead.”

“So, let me get this straight…” Irene’s wings turned black as she glared at Eli. “The rat over here just gave Marcell a rage-induced second wind?”

“Uhh…my bad…?” Eli rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as Marcell stared at each Society member in turn, his red-eyed glare promising brutal retribution.

“That’s it…now you’ve fucking _stepped_ in it,” he hissed. “You Society shitbags have invaded my island, ruined my show, wrecked my equipment, killed my bandmates, _and_ mocked my _fucking GUITAR_ with your disgusting lack of musical knowledge!” As he spoke, he stalked over to the edge of the courtyard, strumming his guitar once to bring his stage out of the wall. “Forget bringing your sorry asses to Weiss - I’m gonna **wipe you off the face of the fucking _Nexus._** ”

Marcell began to play an ominous tune as the stage behind him started to deconstruct and form up into something else, his eyes never straying from the stunned Society - even the recently-recovered Dante was struck dumb by what he was witnessing. Tsuneo, on the other hand, nodded to himself as he watched it happen.

“You fuckers have crossed every line in the book, and now you’re gonna pay through the eyes! …I hope you’ve got your wills ready, because I’m about to frontline your fucking **MASS FUNERAL!!!** ” That last flourish completed the stage’s transformation into a large, humanoid mecha. His wicked grin back in place, Marcell jumped into the open chest cavity, resuming his playing as the machine roared to life.

“…Well, things just got a whole lot more interesting.” Tsuneo mused, performing a quick headcount. “Keepin’ three back to watch the wounded, this is 8 to 1; I _like_ those odds.”

“8 people… to a _fucking_ mech. Uh, Tsuneo, unless you magically pull one of your own out of your ass, how are those good odds?” Irene retorted.

Brian ignored the woman’s concern as he turned to the Society. “Em, Tavo, Eli, you guys keep the wounded outta the way. B.Nana, Scafe, Irene and I have bombs we can use for this fucker, Becky can freeze the limbs, Max and Dante can both cut through shit like that…”

“And I’m not about to sit this one out, either.” Tsuneo chuckled darkly, his sword held at the ready.

“I don’t like this, Brian…but you’re right that I can’t do a whole lot to something _that_ big…” Eli nodded to Brian as he walked off to watch over his injured friends. “Just watch yourself around _him._ ” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Tsuneo, who was keeping an eagle eye on Marcell’s mecha. “This would be the perfect time for him to pull a _real_ backstab…”

“Just _fuck off_ with that talk, Eli!” Brian glared the chinchilla down before turning back to regard the mech stomping their way. He drew up his own bazooka as Irene summoned hers to her hand, Scafe readied his Explosive Chains, and B.Nana held up whole handfuls of her Banana Bombs. “You heard me, people: GIVE THAT SOUPCAN HELL!”

Marcell laughed wildly from the cockpit of his mecha even as wires emerged from the walls and embedded themselves in his body. “ALRIGHT, YOU SOCIETY FUCKSTICKS, ARE YOU READY FOR THE EXPRESS TRAIN TO HELL?! **LET’S GO!** _ONE TWO THREE FOUR!!!_ ”

With the howl of massively-amplified metal riffs, the mecha surged forward and swung a colossal fist at the Society. Irene and Scafe both lifted their explosive partners skyward, Becky leaping back on an ice ramp as the swordsmen slid towards the mech to dodge the wide swing. Marcell attempted to stomp on the three coming closer to his robot’s feet, but Dante jumped onto the leg while Tsuneo and Max ran past it.

“Alright, let’s start with our best foot forward, and get rid of _his_ best foot!” Becky nodded affirmatively, throwing an ice bolt right at the exposed leg. However, Marcell saw this coming and blocked it with a sweep of his mech’s arm. This made a good target for Irene and Brian to lay into with rockets; meanwhile, Scafe did a Shuttle Loop to toss B. Nana skyward, where she rained Banana Bombs on the mech from above.

“YOU LITTLE BITCHES THINK THAT SHIT EVEN TICKLES MY NUTS? OOOOOOOHHH~!!!” Marcell wound up to backhand the flying explosive experts, leaving his leg open for another shot from Becky. This time, she scored a direct hit to the leg, accidentally covering Dante in ice in the process.

“Wow, that’s _cold,_ Bex! Allow me to _break the ice!_ ” Dante jabbed his beam katana into the frozen knee joint with enough power to break it entirely, using the momentum to roll off and catch up to the red-headed cryomancer. “Not to ruin your _cool_ plan, I mean~”

“Ohh… _another_ pun master. We are gonna get along _so_ well.” Becky sighed as Marcell’s mech staggered with the loss of its limb. Before it could topple, however, the crazed frilled lizard intensified his strumming, causing surrounding debris to begin reconnecting the lost leg like duct tape.

“Son of a- He’s repairing our damage with the debris around the battlefield!” Brian noted from above, still laying into his target alongside Irene.

“Not for long.” Max swung his sword into the ground, sending a wave of stalagmites towards the repairing limb. The rock spikes knocked the leg askew, allowing Irene to blast it with a stray rocket.

“HAHAHAHA!!! NICE TRY, BUT YOU CAN’T STOP MY **GODLY RIIIIIFFFFSSSS!!!** ” Without even breaking his solo, Marcell adjusted a knob on the head of his guitar, causing several panels to slide open on the mech’s chest and shoulders. Scafe briefly glimpsed what looked like massive speakers before he was hit by a powerful wave of sound that nearly knocked him out of the air.

“Shit! Looks like the crazy hippo wasn’t the only one packing Sonic Mortars!” The dragon-man cursed as he was blown past Brian, who was also having trouble holding on - Irene, on the other hand, seemed bothered only by the _force_ of the blasts, holding steady as she aimed more rockets.

“Alright, now you’re _really_ askin’ for some frost burn!” With Irene’s rockets drawing Marcell’s attention, Becky refocused her efforts on the mech’s arm, bombarding it with her ice bolts. Despite heavy interference from Marcell’s shoulder cannon, a bolt eventually hit the mark dead-on; seeing an opportunity, Scafe dove in close to wrap the half-frozen limb in Exploding Chains, detonating them to sever the arm.

“Nice aim, sweetie! Keep that up!!” Scafe’s encouraging call left him open to be clobbered out of the air by the falling arm. “OH SHI-!” As he sailed back, trying to right himself, he entered an eye-like portal before flying straight up again, righted much quicker due to the change in momentum.

“Ahh, portals. Not just for video games~” Irene smirked before nodding to Scafe, who gave a thumbs up in return as Becky froze the other arm. A salvo of Banana Bombs quickly sent that limb falling off in turn, leaving B.Nana giggling mischievously.

“And bananas are good for more than your health~!” she chirped up at the others as charred banana pieces rained from the blast zone.

“GRRR… THAT SHIT’S NOTHIN’ BUT A FLESH…err… _MECH_ WOUND!!!” Marcell strummed ever harder, summoning debris to reform the mech’s arms. This did not go unnoticed by Tsuneo; he gained a devilish smirk behind his mask as realization hit.

“Brian, that mech is _literally_ running on Marcell’s music!” he called. “If we overtask his guitar-handling, he’ll tire out and the whole thing should fall apart!!”

The spider-bunny grinned as he caught on as well. “Then let’s push his limits! Becky, get that last limb!”

“Leave it to me, Sarge~!” Becky twirled in place, creating streams of frost that coalesced into a massive ice spear. As her new weapon landed in her hands, she noticed Marcell directing his mech’s hands to protect the undamaged leg, the cannons on its body humming ominously. “Somebody run interference - there’s no way I’m busting through all _that_ by my lonesome!”

“YOU MOTHAFUCKAS AIN’T GETTIN THE BEST OF ME!!! **RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!** ” In an impressive display of synchronicity, Marcell fired all of the cannons in a rapid, erratic pattern, creating massive soundwaves to keep the fliers at bay. At the same time, he stomped the ground with the mech’s feet, creating another powerful pulse that nearly blew the grounded Society members off their feet; however, the swordsmen used the burst to leap up and break away the debris holding the arms together.

“There’s your opening!” Scafe called as Becky hurled her ice spear as hard as she could, causing it to impale and freeze the mech’s last intact knee joint. Realizing his predicament, Marcell toned down his guitar a little, dropping the severed limbs and bracing himself for impact as Irene and Brian fired two rockets at the leg to blast it off. Now, the mech’s torso was all that remained, held aloft only by its pilot’s increasingly-desperate guitar-playing.

“AAARGH!!! THIS ISN’T OVER YET, CRIMSHIT CUNTCIETY!!!” Mustering all of his strength, Marcell redoubled his strumming, directing all of the mech’s available power to its battery of Sonic Mortars. “I’LL MELT THE FACES OFF OF THE ENTIRE **SURFACE** BEFORE I LET YOU FUCKERS WIN!!!”

“Okay, everyone! Let’s give him the boot! All together now!!” Brian tossed his bazooka aside to draw an even bigger rocket launcher, Irene pulled a lever that added two more rocket barrels to her own weapon, and B.Nana brandished a big red banana with a nuclear symbol on the side.

“Ooh boy, here come the fireworks!” she giggled. “The **Juggernana** is ready to go!”

“Then let’s take Marcell for a ride!” Scafe yelled as he twisted his chains into a lasso. Brian and Irene fired their rockets - a cartoon missile and a helix triplet, respectively - while B.Nana chucked her big red banana with both hands. Catching all of the projectiles in his chains, Scafe spun around a few times before golf-swinging the payload into Marcell’s mech.

“WHAT THE **FU-** ” Marcell’s scream of bewildered rage was lost amid a massive explosion that sent his mech flying back into the three swordsmen behind it. In perfect unison, Dante, Tsuneo, and Max’s blades struck the flying target, slamming it down into the ground with enough force to toss Marcell around the cockpit like a pinball. His guitar snapped in two from the impacts, and blood gushed from all over his body as the wires were forcibly torn out of him.

“ **AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!** ” Marcell’s cry of anguished pain was all the Society needed to hear to know he was through. “ **MY FUCKING _AXE!!!_ NOOOOOOO!!!!!**”

“Well, even if he somehow survived _that_ , his pride sure as hell didn’t~” Brian smirked to his friends as they gathered around the ruined mech. Tsuneo dug the tip of his massive blade into the back of the mech and started pulling down to peel it open.

“Lights out, Mar-? …Wait a sec…” Tsuneo put a hand to the earpiece on his mask, fiddling with the sound settings. After a moment, he caught the sound of electrical buzzing, followed by a distant, distorted, but no less familiar voice.

 _…Ohhhhh hell…_ The masked zombie suddenly straightened up and turned to the Society, looking more frantic than they’d yet seen him. “Everyone! Get the hell _back!_ ”

The Society whipped around to the sudden call, most of them either confused or indignant. “What’s wrong, getting cold feet on your deal there?” Eli snarked.

“I think he’s about to bolt again~!” Scafe sneered.

“Guys, seriously! Get **BACK!** ” Tsuneo’s sword disintegrated into red mist which quickly reformed into a pair of bladed tonfas. He gave a wide, two-armed sweep, creating a massive gust of air that blew the Society across the courtyard; mere seconds later, the mech itself went up in a tremendous fireball.

“HOLY-” Brian yelled as he skidded to a stop mere feet from the wall. The other Councilmen landed on their feet, having prepared to jump as soon as they had seen Tsuneo winding up; in contrast, the rest of the Society were on their sides or backs.

“…Fuck… That smarted…” Juliet groaned as she checked herself for any serious injuries; fortunately, neither she nor anyone else had suffered worse than a few bruises and scrapes as they rose to survey the burning wreckage of Marcell’s mech.

“Did he just…” Max blinked behind his mask, dread coming into his voice as he registered what had just happened. “…Did he just try to take us out with him?”

“I _knew_ he couldn’t be trusted; he wanted us _all_ wiped off the face of the Nexus!” Eli snarled.

“But…why would he tell us to get bac-” Irene’s question was cut off by a growl from Scafe.

“A threat, obviously!” the dragon declared, angry at the near-miss. “He’s as cocky as he is crazy…and as you can see, he’s _pretty fucking crazy_!”

“…Hey, I resent that!” Irene’s wings reddened as her own temper began to flare. “And for the record, he wouldn’t harm you guys!”

“Do you even _know_ what he’s done?” Eli added in, but before tensions could raise further, Brian stepped in and diverted the conversation.

“Guys, stop it!” he cried. “We just nearly got blasted to bits here - regardless of who did it, we need to get out of here and help our downed friends before they get any worse.” He glanced between his friends, who all seemed apprehensive; Irene, in particular, was still exchanging heated glares with Eli and Scafe. However, further conversation was stymied when Tsuneo overturned a scorched metal plate, holding his blown-open stomach.

“Hey… Don’t leave without me, guys…” He gave a weak chuckle as Irene fluttered over to help him stand. “That was too damn close, eh?” His forced levity faded as he noticed the hostility seething in the air. “…What’s with the scowls?”

The entire Society, save Brian, glared at the masked zombie as Irene helped him walk to them. With Marcell out of the picture and their adrenaline dying down, their previous questions had returned full-force; can answers be found before a new battle erupts in the remains of the castle?

**-THE SOCIETY WILL RETURN-**


	6. Nexus Walker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Marcell dead, now the questions can begin. And hoo boy, do they start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear to the gods that I need to convince Teren to help me write the story of Irene and Tsuneo meeting.

# Tales of the Society - The Azure Age

## Chapter 4 Epilogue: Nexus Walker

**_Previously on_ “Tales of the Society”...**

_With the surprise assistance of Tsuneo and Irene, the Society began turning the tide on Marcell and his band, killing all of his band mates in the process. In desperation and rage (not helped by Eli pressing his “Banjo Button”), the crazed lizard unleashed his trump card: a colossal mecha_ literally _powered by his music. Despite this unexpected threat, the Society rallied and slowly wore Marcell down, ending with a spectacular combination attack that left him utterly defeated._

_Alas, this merely triggered the Azure Initiative’s backup plan: a powerful self-destruct device rigged to go off if the mecha was disabled. Catching wind of this with seconds to spare, Tsuneo was forced to_ literally _blow off his friends to save their skins, reigniting long-buried grudges. Now, as the dust settles on the remains of Skull Mountain Island Castle, can the Society clear up the misunderstandings before further blood is spilled?_

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The first shot came from Scafe; lunging forward with a flap of his wings, he delivered a powerful punch that sent Tsuneo staggering out of Irene’s hands.

“…Okay…I deserved that one…” Tsuneo barely got that quip out before Eli delivered a strike across his other cheek with the opposite hook. “…And that one.” He chuckled a little; compared to the gaping hole in his stomach, the blows were barely a tickle.

“Um, guys…” Irene’s wings and face went a few shades paler as she witnessed the sheer venom on display.

“It’s alright, Irene… They’ve got grievances, I’ll let ‘em vent…” Tsuneo nodded even as Max knocked him on his back with an uppercut. Scafe tried to follow up with a chain whip, but he caught it in his hand. “Okay, _that’s_ the line.”

The sudden catch made the Society freeze as Tsuneo struggled back to his feet. Dropping the chain disdainfully, he looked around the crowd before taking a breath. “You all finished? …Good, now, if I can explain-”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Eli suddenly leapt forward with a staff jab to the chest; Tsuneo reeled at the sudden blow, but nodded in response.

“W-Wait! Guys, what are you doing??” B.Nana sounded on the verge of tears as she watched the Councilmen assault Tsuneo. “Didn’t he help us beat Marcell? Why are we attacking him??”

“It’s okay, Brittany… They want answers from the traitor in their eyes…” Tsuneo said to the distraught fruit-woman, sighing a bit as he dusted himself off.

“ _Traitor?!_ ” B.Nana’s jaw dropped, but Brian could only sigh as this all unfolded before his very eyes. He stepped forward with his sternest expression, his spider limbs subconsciously spreading out to create a slight barrier between his friends-at-odds.

“ _Everybody, sit down and shut up. We have a_ lot _of explaining to do..._ ” Zeus spoke with none of his usual boisterousness, convincing everyone to obey his request.

“Then let me start, at least.” Tsuneo gave a nod to his Hostilized friend. “Like Brian said earlier, it’s a bit of a long story - now that the threats are dealt with, I can explain…” He took a moment to collect himself before proceeding. “After my self-expulsion, I took to wandering the Nexus alone, lending a hand where I could. Then I heard about the Iridu City Bombing…fearing the worst, I went to investigate…”

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A geiger counter chattered on Tsuneo’s jacket as he wandered up to the base’s ruins, taking in the scene with quiet shock. He was appalled and saddened to see the massive, irradiated crater where the Society’s home once stood…but quite relieved to see no bodies, charred skeletons or otherwise, in the remains.

_They escaped…or were they just vaporized…?_ The masked zombie shook his head fiercely to dispel the logical conclusions of his pessimistic brain. _No, they_ had _to have escaped…somehow…_ To distract himself from his morbid thoughts, he stopped at the edge of the crater and examined a few chunks of jagged metal.

“Let’s see here… Radioactive, cobalt-blue casing, too big to be a missile of some kind…” Tsuneo glanced around as he thought out loud, noticing a distinctly different piece of metal nearby. “I think that’s the remnants of a wheeling cart… This was a pretty massive bomb. No way something that big could just be bought on any black market; this was custom-made.” 

_Question now is…who’d have the resources, patience, know-how, and balls-out **insanity** to make something like this?_ Tsuneo racked his memories and knowledge of the Nexus as he looked around the ruins. _Perhaps someone on the Surface knows who made it… Maybe her._ He looked up at the sky at a distant shape - distinctly feminine, with large butterfly wings. _Odd for someone to be flying around a nuclear hot zone…she must know something._

“Hey! You there!” The hail nearly made Irene fall from the sky - she wasn’t expecting to see anyone else in this mess, especially standing right next to the epicenter of the explosion. Her wings flashed from blue to white as she swooped down and landed before the strange man.

“Are you _mad!?_ This is a radiation hot zone! This place will kill you, y’know!” Irene’s eyes were red-rimmed from a lack of sleep and copious amounts of crying; she’d been doing a lot of both ever since she heard of the Iridu City disaster.

“Take your own advice…unless you’re resistant to this shit too.” Tsuneo quipped back, noting the casually-dressed woman’s utter lack of discomfort in an area with enough radiation to kill a cockroach.

“…Alright, fair enough then…” Irene shrugged, her wings going back to blue. “So if neither of us are gonna suffer in this area, what’d you call me down for?”

“This place got hit by some kind of super-bomb.” Tsuneo indicated the fragment in his hand as he spoke. “Any theories on where it came from?” His senses were on high alert, ready to spot the barest change in Irene’s expression and body language. _Odds are she’ll be a tricky nut to crack - if I were her, I probably wouldn’t be too eager to associate myself with something like this…_

“Of _course_ I know who made it…you’re looking at her.” Irene’s swift thumb jab sharply contrasted the utterly blank look on her face.

_…Orrr she could just up and fucking_ admit it _to my face._ Tsuneo couldn’t give a flatter “What.” if he tried - both from her frankness, and from the flat admission - but his brightening arm-veins betrayed the anger rising beneath his stoic facade.

Sensing danger, Irene raised her hands in a placating gesture. “Hear me out before you go off; it wasn’t _meant_ to be used. No one has _ever_ made a Cobalt Bomb; it was always in the realm of fiction. I made one simply as a proof-of-concept.”

“ _Cobalt_ Bomb, eh? That explains the metallic dust all over this place…” Tsuneo made a mental note of this revelation before proceeding. “So…you made this just to prove you _could?_ ”

“To prove it was _possible._ Never had any intention to test it,” Irene repeated.

“ _Who_ tested it, then? If you never intended to use it, then either someone else did…or you’re lying right to my face.” Tsuneo took a step forward, his red mask lenses boring into Irene’s silver eyes.

“Some goat-bitch with mechanical arms and no sense of decency. Can’t recall her name…but I sure as hell know her face, and I’m gonna burn it to fucking _ashes_ when I find her.” Irene clenched her fists at her sides, causing flames to lick the edges of her fingers as her wings flickered black.

Tsuneo stopped in his tracks as he recognized that description. “…Amethyst Hart,” he said. “That’s her name. She used to be a part of the Crimson Society; y’know, the guys who used to live there.” He pointed to the charred ruin overlooking the blue-glowing ocean, prompting Irene to raise an eyebrow.

“I’m guessing it wasn’t a very nice parting on her part?” she asked rhetorically.

“She got off _easy_ compared to some of the others,” Tsuneo answered firmly, shaking his head. “Still…if I help you find this bitch, would you help me with some digging around? I had friends here, and I need to know how they’re faring.”

_…They survived_ that? _Gods…who_ are _these people?_ Shaking off her doubts, Irene slowly took Tsuneo’s offered hand, a faint tint of red appearing on her wings. “Gladly. Hopefully they won’t retaliate against me for this…”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Tsuneo finished his exposition, all eyes turned to Irene, just as she’d feared. “…So…you made that deadly bomb so you could prove it was possible…and allowed its plans to be captured and used by a bunch of maniacs with a grudge,” Max said slowly.

“In my defense, most people stay the hell away from me, so I didn’t think to lock it off,” Irene clarified. “I had just finished disposing of the proof-of-concept prototype when the goat-bitch came in and… _distracted_ me.” She quirked her eyebrows at the Councilmen, silently daring them to debate Amethyst’s ability to draw attention away from other matters. 

“Yeeaaah…that gal can be a pretty sneaky fucker when she’s not thinking ‘bout sex…” Eli admitted. “Gotta say, though, you’ve got guts to come _looking_ for the gang with the most reason to kick your pretty ass halfway across the Surface~” He twirled his staff idly, although Irene couldn’t help but think it looked a little bit like a threat.

“Easy, Eli; she just admitted she never wanted to hurt anyone like this.” Brian shook his head as he glanced back to Tsuneo.

“Just sayin’,” the chinchilla replied. “It’s like we’re a magnet for people with a death wish in some form or another - just look at Dante!”

“BITCH, I’M IMMORTAL!” The raccoon-dog yelled with ear-splitting volume, as if mocking the late Marcell.

“Alright,” Scafe said, eyes still narrowed to slits as he scrutinized the pair before him. “That explains how you two met up and started looking to wreck the Azure Initiative…but how’d you find your way here?” His expression briefly lightened as the most obvious answer surfaced in his mind. “Wait, nevermind…you probably heard Marcell’s ‘invitation’ for us when he started his musical assault on the Surface…”

“…Pretty much, yeah.” Tsuneo nodded. “Once I knew that Amethyst was behind the theft, it wasn’t a big leap to realize that the ex-Society members were responsible for the bombing. At the time, I thought Nesmon was the mastermind…until Marcell named Weiss as his boss in his very _un_ -Society-esque message all over the major cities. Once he sold himself out, we decided we’d get the info out of him. Irene portaled us onto the shore and set up fireworks to distract the horde of civvies. From there, we worked our way up to the castle, followed the trail of destruction to the courtyard, and…well, you know the rest.”

The Society members made various noises and gestures of assent, but Scafe only crossed his arms with an impassive look. “Fair enough…but that still leaves one big question,” he said.

Tsuneo frowned behind his mask as Scafe loomed over him. “What more do I have to explain to you? I think it’s pretty-” He grunted slightly as two clawed hands seized the front of his shirt and lifted him to Scafe’s eye level.

“ **Why did you try to kill us?** ” The dragon spoke with near-literal fire, wreathing his head in smoke. In response, Tsuneo only pressed the node on the side of his mask, triggering an audio recording for all to hear.

“ _Marcell, if you’re hearing this, you’ve disappointed me for the last time. You’re as worthless as your stupid metal music - hell, you weren’t even a_ threat _until Amy and Nesmon outfitted you and your shitty band with all that fancy-ass tech! - so I had Amy add a little something_ extra _to your kickass stage: two hundred and fifty-seven tons of plastic explosives! And if this message is playing for you, then you’ve_ already _failed, and they’re ticking down as I speak - I reckon you’ve got, say…15 seconds left to live! Say your prayers to your fake-ass metal gods, ‘cause you’re only gonna be playing for the devil now! …And if you’re listening, Crimson_ Shit _-ciety… **FUCK Y-**_ ”

The rest of Weiss’s recording was cut off by the explosion, leaving the Society to ruminate in silence until Tsuneo struggled out of Scafe’s grip. “I was _saving_ your indignant asses before that bomb went off!” he snapped at the stone-faced dragon.

“…Well…that’s another nail in Weiss’s coffin, and the last one in Tsuneo’s pulled out, right?” Brian’s optimistic question barely seemed to affect his fellow Councilmen. On one hand, his evidence was airtight; on the other…

“So…we’re expected to _forgive_ that fight back then?” Scafe’s snarl elicited confused looks from the others, save the Councilmen.

“I’ll admit, even _I’m_ a bit curious about that,” Irene chimed in. “With ‘friends’ like these, who needs enemies? What’d you do to piss ‘em off?”

Eli and Scafe both looked eager to explain, but it was Max who stepped forward instead. “It was nothing like our feud with the Azures…no, what happened here was on a more _personal_ level; too much personality and not enough logic.” He shook his head slightly, thinking back to those turbulent days…

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“ _Brian!_ ” Scafe’s shout rang through Brian’s room as he stormed in with a look of anger and bitterness. “We need to talk!” 

“Uuuuh…Scafe?” Brian looked up from the papers on his desk with a mixture of apprehension and mild annoyance. “Can it wait? I’m kinda in the middle of-”

“Tsuneo is _out of fucking line!_ ” Scafe said without preamble. “He is _abusing_ his power as a Councilman!”

Brian took a long, slow breath, willing himself not to roll his eyes or slap himself in the face at the dragon’s familiar complaint. “…Scafe, we’ve _had_ this discussion before. Whatever Tsuneo is doing, I’m sure he’s doing it for the sake of the Society-”

“Oh _really?_ ” Scafe interjected. “You think ‘pushing his own friends to their fucking limits’ is _for the sake of the Society?_ ” 

“ _Wow, check out Smaug the Drama Queen,_ ” Zeus scoffed. “ _Tsuneo may be a tough-as-nails leader with a weird - often annoying - sense of humor, but we get jobs done with him around._ ”

The Parasite’s comment seemed to quell Scafe’s fury, but only from “imminent eruption” to “slow boil” as he began pacing back and forth. “Think about it, B. All these members of ours leaving left and right, getting the boot one way or another… _who’s_ been a constant factor in it all?” He pulled out his scimitar and jabbed it at the picture of the Councilmen hanging on Brian’s wall, just barely scratching the glass over Tsuneo’s face. “ _Him!_ And he’s clearly looking to antagonize the rest of us just to find an excuse to axe us next! He’ll get rid of _anyone_ he doesn’t-”

The dragon’s rant was cut short when a knife flew past his head, clipping a few strands of black and red hair before sticking into the wall behind Brian. Both Councilmen whirled around to see Tsuneo standing in the open doorway - he’d heard everything. 

“…So that’s your perception.” Tsuneo merely sighed, his usual aggressive snark giving way to resignation. “That I’m just as bad as Tania said; a back-poking snake with a penchant for discord. Am I following that right?”

Scafe held a contemptuous silence, staring down the NeverDead as he entered the room. The knife vanished from the wall, reappearing in his hand as he walked right up to Scafe.

“Let me make one thing clear, _Scafe._ ” Tsuneo held the blade up at the dragon’s chin, his ruby-lensed gaze never wavering. “If I had a problem with you - with _anyone_ \- on a personal level…” In an instant, he flipped the knife around and stabbed it into the desk beside them, right in front of Brian’s paperwork - at the same time, he pulled off his mask with his free hand, revealing dead, grey-irised eyes surrounded by the same eerie veins visible on his arms. “…I’d tell you with _my own_ fiery gaze and voice. _Believe it or don’t._ ”

Without his mask’s built-in Vocal Cipher, Tsuneo’s voice was raspy and somewhat pained; still, Scafe flinched as though the knife had gone into his eye instead of the desk. Without another word, Tsuneo resecured his mask and stalked out, his knife vanishing in a wisp of red vapor.

Brian looked between the doorway, Scafe, and the fresh holes in his desk and wall. His mind raced to process the sheer depth of the problem brewing under his very nose, but all his voice could muster was a low, nervous “Shiiit…”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“The very next morning, Brian reported that Tsuneo’s room was vacated; he didn’t even take anything. It was clear that our fellow Councilman had fled into the night…without so much as a ‘Screw you’ note.” Max looked around the group as he finished, with Tsuneo merely nodding to confirm the story’s validity.

“So, let me get this straight. You believed a fanatical so-called _angel_ over your friend? And then, rather than show any sympathy or remorse, you guys basically chased him off.” Irene facepalmed, her wings turning just a shade or two darker. “Ye gods, I was _kidding_ about these guys being better enemies than friends.”

“It’s fine, Irene…” Tsuneo put his hand out at his side, shaking his head. “Even if they saw me as a traitor, I still saw them as friends… Why else would I leave without allowing them to put me through the official wringer?”

“So we wouldn’t get the satisfaction of putting you out of our lives?” Eli looked ready to elaborate his point, but Tsuneo’s glare made him step back.

“So you wouldn’t fall into an internal civil war between those who felt I was wrongfully removed, and those who cheered for it.” A note of anger returned to the revenant’s voice as he met each Councilman’s eyes in turn. “Think about _that_. I recall that at least Nesmon was still in our ranks after I left, and we all knew what _he_ was thinking. He’d been waiting for a power vacuum to usurp authority. Tell me, Eli…what would’ve happened if **that** came to pass!?” His own aggressive jab was accompanied by a fierce pointed finger that forced the chinchilla to fall on his backside.

“…Welp…he’s got a point there…” Dante piped up from the sidelines. “If this ‘Nesmon’ is shorthand for ‘Grade-A douche’ like Marcell was-”

“ _Worse,_ actually.” Brian interjected. “And Weiss was probably just as eager to take the top spot, too.”

“…Then I reckon you all dodged a bullet, if that’s the case.” Dante finished, shaking his head incredulously. “None of today would’ve happened if Weiss or Nesmon took over.”

This realization washed over the rest of the Society like the waves on the beach they had just emerged on. Far from being triumphant, however, Tsuneo merely crossed his arms. 

“ _Now_ do you guys understand?” he asked. “Our first attempt at making a group was **doomed to failure.** I saw the signs of the crumbling foundation, and did everything I could to keep our house from falling apart at the baseboards. Eventually, that included my own exit…granted, I _probably_ should’ve put all that in writing or something, but it did the job.” He paused just long enough to watch the Councilmen’s eyebrows quirking. “You were left united enough to survive the inevitable backlash from our rejected ‘friends’ and learn from _our_ mistakes to rebuild the Society.”

The Councilmen exchanged glances, particularly at the emphasis Tsuneo put on “ _our_ mistakes”. “…Well…that’s a _hell_ of a way to put a year’s worth of fuckups,” Eli admitted grudgingly. “And I’m surprised you included yourself in that designation, N-D…didja find some humility while you were globetrotting on us?” His mocking grin seemed a bit more casual than before - nonetheless, Irene refocused her stinkeye on him.

“…Trust me, I had a lot of time to think during all my wandering.” There was no snark in Tsuneo’s reply. “Not only about where my mistakes came in, but on my current state. And whether or not you’d agree…I actually _missed_ you idiots.” He grit his teeth under the mask as he looked at the ground, bracing himself for another round of sarcastic jabs at best and total, violent rejection at worst.

“Hey man, the feeling is mutual.” Brian responded with a smile as he walked to his friend’s side. “Contrary to popular opinion, _I_ was the one who was hurt the most when you left; seeing all the conflict and hatred between you and the other Councilmen, the bad blood lingering even after you disappeared…I haven’t felt that bad since the Newborn Incident. To be honest, the Society just wasn’t the same without you, Tsuneo. You were like family to us, and it sucked having to see you leave. It warms my infected heart to know you’re alive and well…and you still know the difference between friends and enemies…” He directed a glare at Scafe, who only snorted distastefully as he looked away.

“And _I’ll_ be flatly honest: I’m startin’ to think the whole damn argument was stupid to begin with. Even if he _was_ the instigator with the Azures, I think that our current situation proves that he was still right about them.” Eli’s nod prompted surprise from his fellow Councilmen, especially Scafe. “Yeah, I’m lettin’ it go, if only for our collective sakes here; we need every helping hand we can get now.”

“You mean…?” Tsuneo looked up at his friends again, realizing where they were going with this.

“Yeah.” Max nodded, stepping aside to let Brian get within range to shake his old friend’s hand.

“Welcome back, NeverDead.” Brian was smiling ear-to-ear, but Tsuneo almost locked up at the news - he seemed to be restraining something before shaking his head ruefully.

“Well…that went better than I was expecting. Now, what about Irene? You’ve got enough history with her to know how she thinks, Brian.” Tsuneo nodded back to her, smiling behind his mask. “And she’s got enough cause to see those Azures burn too.”

“Why the hell not?” Dante piped up in Brian’s stead. “Crazy bitch with a lotta explosives; what could possibly go wrong?”

“…I think the Councilmen can answer that one,” Irene snarked. “But if it helps, I’ve destroyed the Cobalt Bomb plans for good, and my new lab is… _not_ easy to steal from. I made _damn_ sure of that.” She gave a slight smirk as she recalled the lengths she had taken in order to protect her new inventions.

“Even I have to admit it’s downright ridiculous to keep bombs in a fucking **volcano,** but you have a good point. No one’s stealing _anything_ outta there.” The entire Society did a double take at Tsuneo’s clarification, likely thinking the same thing.

“Yeah, sounds like Irene.” Brian chuckled a little. “And hey, I won’t deny someone taking responsibility for a mistake - Lord knows I make plenty too…”

“Like the Grape Soda Fountain Pen incident?” Eli jabbed an elbow into Brian’s ribs, prompting a scowl from the spider-bunny.

“I WAS _BORED,_ OKAY!?” His immediate, loud response sent Irene into a fit of laughter, her wings flickering to a lighter shade as she tried to imagine the story behind _that_ one.

“Oh _gods!_ I’m gonna have to hear about this sometime.” After a moment to calm back down, she looked up at Brian as he helped her to her feet. “So does that mean…?”

“Yep. Welcome aboard, fervent Queen of the Flame.” Brian smirked at his own spin on Irene’s self-imposed title, mere seconds before she bowled him over with a flying tackle of a hug, wings shifting to a brilliant yellow.

“Glad to help, Bunny-Butt~!” Irene’s little pet name elicited a few chuckles from the others as Brian struggled to extricate himself from her iron grip. Suddenly, she froze as she registered a slight pressure on her chest, her emotionless expression mirroring the sudden translucence in her wings.

“…Zeus. Would you _kindly_ release my breast.” Her dead monotone belied a particularly murderous gleam in her eyes. “Preferably _before_ I have to charbroil your host.”

“Wha…?!” Brian glanced down to confirm his parasitized hand’s position, his face flushed purple with annoyed embarrassment. “ **ZEEEUUUUUUUSSS!!!** Show some fucking restraint, man - that’s no way to welcome an old friend into the Society!!”

“ _I regret nothing~!_ ” Zeus’s triumphant grin was unmarred even as Tsuneo helped separate him from Irene, allowing Brian to punch him in the hand-mouth.

“Alright then, what’re we standin’ around on this island for? I saw your boat on the way in; let’s get back home…wherever home _is,_ now.” Tsuneo nodded to his friends, hoping that they had found a new place to live if they were rebuilding the group.

“Ooh boy…do we ever! There’s a warp room, a bigass lounge, at least three game rooms…” Emily continued rattling off the mansion’s features as she and her friends boarded the boat and prepared to head home. The Crimson Council has been reunited at last, and after some trials by fire, the Society is closer than ever, four members stronger, and down one obnoxious Azure metalhead. However, it’ll take far more than that to stop the Initiative’s schemes…especially since there’s still one more person on the island…

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the far edge of the rocky outcroppings, someone was watching the Society’s departure through the crosshairs of a specialized sniper rifle: a figure in high-tech metal armor, dull grey in color with black protective mesh underneath the seams. Their head was covered in an advanced-looking helmet, with glowing yellow lenses shielding their eyes. Behind the one-way plexiglass, these eyes had watched the Society throughout their battle with Marcell’s group; now they glinted as the lenses pressed just a centimeter further into the scope for a better view.

“Eeny…meeny…miney…moe…” The stranger cooed as their crosshairs slowly danced between the heads of the retreating members. “Kill…the…kiddies…or let…them…go…”

The crosshairs finally settled on Brian, his large ears like arrows to the sniper’s trained eye. His finger slowly clicked the safety off before going to the trigger, squeezing gently. _Sorry pal, but I'm gonna get hell if_ one _of you ain't dead._ His grip on the trigger tightened by a hair; just a little more pressure and…

A sudden, shrill beeping rang through the air, drawing the man’s attention from the shot as he set his rifle down. Relocating his left hand to the headset in his ear, he spoke. “Trigger here. This had better be big, sir - I was lining up a _hell_ of a shot.” He glanced back to see that Brian had disappeared into the cabin of the boat, with Max, Juliet, Zuula, and Scafe pushing it off the shore.

A muffled reply came through, its speaker clearly displeased to the man's exasperation. “No; they're all alive, and Marcell Ontario and his band are dust in the wind. I can still strike a few out, should you desire.” The man tensely waited for the response as his gaze returned to the shores, adjusting the zoom on his lenses to make out the group again. The boat was in the water now, churning the surf behind it as its engines started up and the last few members hopped aboard.

The next reply was more level, contained, and the content surprised even him. “……Understood. But there's something you should know… _he's_ back.”

A hasty and indignant sound came from his communicator, causing the man to wince slightly. He hated when people shouted over the phone, as if they thought it ever fixed _anything._

“Yeah, ‘fraid so: the fifth Councilman is back. Showed up out of nowhere with a butterfly-winged woman; they proved the deciding factor in the fight.” He listed the new development with about as much interest as someone watching paint dry. “Apparently, there's still friction amongst the Councilmen, something we _could_ use…”

Another abrupt reply; this time much less indignant, and more chastising. There was a hint of grim levity to it, something that unnerved the man.

“…Fine, your call. Just remember: this is _your_ problem, not mine.” The man allowed himself a grin behind his mask at the scoff he received. “If you wanna risk this little feud tilting, that's entirely your prerogative; I'm just following orders. However…”

The man examined the group one final time, noting all the horseplay and joking they were apparently participating in. He could still see some glares aimed at Tsuneo and Irene; the earlier scorn was diminished, but not extinguished. 

“They're growing in rank and strength at an alarming rate. Before long, they'll easily be capable of taking this fight to the Initiative, provided they aren't planning to already.” The man paused to scoop up his rifle and rise to his feet, his dark form an even contrast to the dull rocks around him. “If I'm not getting involved _just_ yet, I'll still be stepping up my surveillance. After I've gathered sufficient data for us to use, who knows…maybe I might just pay them a little visit.” He finished his musings with a chuckle, one reciprocated from the other end of the line.

They exchanged a few more thoughts, a few suggestions on how to proceed, and one or two firm orders as the Society’s boat turned around and began the long trip back home. At last, the contact hung up, leaving the man to listen to the crashing waves around him. With a shrug, he slung his rifle over his back and began to make his way down the ridge, one hand extracting a lighter, the other a bottle rocket. After a final glance to make sure the boat was out of sight, he lit the fuse before planting the rocket in the stony ground, slightly angled towards the sea. As the man retreated behind the cliff side, the rocket zoomed into the air, eliciting a harsh squeal as it went before finally exploding in a shower of red and blue sparkles. A slight chuckle emanated from his lips as the dying flames faded in the moist shore breeze and a single thought ran through his mind.

_Crimson…and Azure. This is going to be an_ interesting _little show~_

**-THE SOCIETY WILL RETURN-**

**Author's Note:**

> I am LadyIrene #2020 on Discord and Insanity_Lady on Twitter.


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